In Gods economy, serving others is a privilege and not a curse. Galatians 3 1. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:7-18). They are His to give; they are also His to withhold. We will experience Gods comfort: They shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). He blesses only Christians spiritually and eternally. When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. His blessing is the reversal of the curse (see Genesis 12:1-3; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. B But just what has God promised to do for Abraham? But that forgiveness is not always guaranteed, and is usually conditional on our repentance. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. N Theres nothing like that in the New Testament. G (3) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in terms of material prosperity and His cursings in terms of material adversity and physical affliction. The Jews of old and many Christians and others today think of Gods blessings in terms of the immediate enjoyment of physical and material pleasures and the absence of pain. Since the Mosaic covenant spelled out Gods blessings and cursings in this way in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-30, this is not difficult to understand. Death becomes your servant because of Christs triumph over death. Cursing may be accomplished by what appears to be Gods blessing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:2-5). Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? All rights reserved. Not one of them received the promised blessing. D Humble yourself as Jesus said: "Blessed are the 'poor in spirit': for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Read this and the other eight blessings for you as they were explained by Jesus, in Matthew 5, which are keys to unlocking such personal blessings. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Three Advantages You Gain From Trusting In God, i love belivers portal.very inspiring and informarive, Thanks for the efforts to compile this. This was the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:5-7; 13:14-15) whose boundaries were more fully defined in Genesis 15:18-21. Gods national blessings and cursings were conditional. It is that New Jerusalem which comes down from heaven at our Lords return (Revelation 21:1-2). By tracing the fulfillment of this promise through the Scriptures we will better understand Gods blessings. This shall never happen to You. But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You have entered an incorrect email address! Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. These are the blessings our Lord Himself brings to pass in His second coming. Undergrace, eating a ham sandwich is acceptable. (18) Christians will suffer--and not just for sin. He helps them out of their own troubles. The primary goal of Gods perfect plan is to demonstrate the glory of God. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. These were much more perplexing times as we see from the agony of this psalmist: Thou art my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. In this glorious anthem, in which the apostle, tracing all to the Divine Fountain, enumerates the glorious privileges of the Church, and blesses God for them, he first (ver. The Abrahamic covenant takes up the promise of blessing: Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your fathers house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. (2) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in primarily physical and material terms and not in spiritual terms. The great nation was still one seed, Jacob. (7) How do the temporal blessings and cursings which God promised the nation Israel relate to the life and experience of the Christian today? P In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other. Romans 1:12 (NLT), You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. We must see that in the midst of our suffering, we are drawn nearer to God, and recognize this as true blessing. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Jacob saw much strife in his family and suffered much over the loss of Joseph and then Benjamin. They have been waiting for us to join them in entering into Gods promised blessings. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:1-2 (NIV), Blessed are those who keep my ways. Proverbs 8:32 (NIV), Each of these blessings depends on your not turning aside in any way from the laws I have given you; and you must never worship other gods. Deuteronomy 28:14 (Living), Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law. Psalm 94:12 (NIV), It is sin to despise ones neighbors; blessed are those who help the poor. Proverbs 14:21 (NLT), It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 (NIV), A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 (NIV), Good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do. Isaiah 32:8 (NLT), Blessed is the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13 (NIV), A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:20 (NIV), The Lords curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. Proverbs 3:33 (NIV), People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11:26 (NIV), He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21 (NIV), Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20 (NIV), An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Proverbs 20:21 (NIV), It will go well with those who convict the guilty and rich blessing will come upon them. Proverbs 24:25 (NIV), Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. Proverbs 28:14 (NIV), The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. Blessings, Physical And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Divine blessing in the Bible is always physical and spiritual because it is fixed upon the reality of the fullness of life in the presence of God. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. God was in no hurry to fulfill His promised blessings. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Temporal blessings are not to be measured so much in terms of material prosperity, physical health, or the absence of pain, as in the enjoyment of Gods presence. Abrahams life had its own trials. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. Perhaps the most puzzling passage in the Old Testament concerning Gods blessings comes from the Book of Proverbs: It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it (Proverbs 10:22). Faith and obedience are both necessary because each calls upon us to act, not on the basis of what we see, but on the basis of what He has said. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. Philippians 4:19 (4) What, if any, are the differences between temporal and eternal blessings? Adam was cursed with hard labor, providing for his family by the sweat of his brow. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). They would do well to give more thought to the blessings of God as defined in Scripture. There will always be some among you who are poor. And instead of telling the world to come to us Come see how I bless my people; God never says that he says, Go go to the world. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. How do you explain these errors? When Christians suffer for Christs sake, it is a blessing. Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. The trials and afflictions of the Israelites did not end with their exodus from Egypt. John 14:1-3 Why dost Thou hide Thy face, And forget our affliction and our oppression? 104 Harold G. Stigers, A Commentary on Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p. 135. Uphold me with Your generous Spirit. We seek to obey God when we used to delight in disobedience. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.. In fact, suffering can be a blessing in the hand of God. And put them to use so you will be able ,Be prepared. Divine blessing certainly is not well understood. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. All, as the writer informs us in verse 39, gained approval through their faith. All, as he also reminds us, did not receive what was promised (verse 39, see also Hebrews 11:13). A Study of God's Plan for Man. At times like these, the Word of God becomes much more precious and meaningful: Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Thy word (Psalm 119:67). Matthew 16:21-27 Gods temporal blessings are not inconsistent with suffering. His teaching was radically different from that of the Jewish religious leaders of His day. Our faith in God and in His promise will result in the obedience of faith (Genesis 17:9-14; Romans 4:9-24; Hebrews 11:13-31; James 2:14-26). V Suffering at the hand of a gracious God is a comfort, for our chastening evidences that we are Gods sons: For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. Gods common grace is extended to all men, without distinction. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The pure shall see God. Philippians 3:8-12 Our Lord Himself took upon Himself the task of serving. Here are 20 BIble verses about God's blessing that show us how He blesses us materially and spiritually, and that Jesus Christ as our atonement for sin is the ultimate blessing God has given to all. All their years will be pleasant. Job 36:11 (NLT), Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Job 5:17 (NIV), Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. Psalm 1:1 (GW), Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:4 (NIV), Blessed are those who dwell in your house to worship; they are ever praising you. Psalm 84:4 (NIV), Give freely to the poor person, and do not wish that you didnt have to give. This is not a blessing. (12) Gods temporal blessing is neither synonymous with prosperity nor incompatible with suffering. Gods blessing is not only the gift of those things which are good and desirable but the removal of the curse. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household. Ezekiel 44:30 (NIV), Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. Deuteronomy 16:17 (NIV), Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on is word he meditates day and night. (19) Gods promised blessings do not assure us we will escape the wrath of men toward God, but only that we will escape the wrath of God toward men. God not only graciously blesses men, He also graciously delays the curse so that men might be saved (see Romans 9:22-24). These blessings fit the definition laid down in Proverbs 10:22: It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. Physical John 3:5 ESV / 23 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. HCSB, ISV, BBE. Whether God in His goodness enables us to succeed, or whether His grace enables us to endure our suffering, let us realize that God is able to make use of suffering to produce blessings. This bundle contains the Year of Blessing annual .