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Spiritual Food for Thought: Topic 16

"A Blessing is a Gift from God"

Scripture: The Book of Job (All chapters)


    People of faith receive blessings from God. Some blessings are things prayed for, others are pleasant surprises,
and then there are blessings to help us in times of trouble. The delivery system God uses for blessings varies as well.
Many people believe their blessing was given by an angel of God, some people believe that God gives angelic powers to humans and the blessing comes directly from people around us. A third group of people have had a miracle in their lives that all can see, and no science or earthly entity can explain.

These are some of the ways that God sends blessings to His people. A blessing is a gift from God.
It is a gift, not earned and not deserved. It is a gift.
There is a lot of rhetoric about blessings and how God grants these blessings. 

If we read the story of Job, we can learn much about blessings. God gave the blessings, and Satan wanted control
of Job's blessings. Job's friends tried to use their limited understanding of the situation to ascertain
how Job's suffering and calamity was a result of sin or human error in the sight of God. Not so.
The blessings of God are not earned. They are given. Look closely at the story and this will become clear.
God's own discourse with Job proves this point. God taught Job that His sovereignty is ultimate.
There was no way that Job could earn the blessings.
The sovereign Lord of All Creation bestowed Job's blessings. And the sovereign Lord of All Creation blessed Job
with restoration after Satan's destruction in Job's life and family.

Within the human condition should we be careful not to act like Job's friends - trying to explain 
why this person is blessed and another is not. It is often said that bad things can happen to good people. 
Job's story is an illustration of this.
In the "real time" of Job's suffering, his friends searched for something Job had done wrong. Was there anything?
Or, was Job's circumstance beyond human comprehension?

Should we avoid saying things like he or she is blessed because they did this or did that?
If we boast such things, how do we explain the tragedy in the lives of those
who did all that was prescribed by the Bible or religious doctrine?

There are many people who have done all that they are supposed to do and tragedy still comes. Consider Job. 
There are, also, many people who seem to be richly blessed and they don't appear to have done 
what God has asked. (?) Is it best that we do not try to assign blame, and leave things in God's hands?

    The Good News is, that in all the challenges of the times in which we live, God continues to bless. 
He does not bless so that we can boast. He blesses us by His love, by His grace, and by His mercy. 
When we see someone “going through,” let's not assume that their plight is because of some error. 
Maybe, instead, just lift up prayers to the Lord for them because we don't know all that is going on. 
When we see someone blessed and prospering, give God the glory for the blessing.
Be slow to say that he or she is blessed because of this, or blessed because of that. 
Just give glory to the God of All Creation for the gift which has been bestowed. 

A blessing is a gift from God.



View Spiritual Food for Thought: Topic 17



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