Showing posts with label generational blessings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generational blessings. Show all posts
Thursday, June 7, 2012
HEIRS TO THE PROMISE
As believers of Christ, there are many things we are heirs to that at times go unnoticed. We have to be aware of those promises we have been given so we can spread, share and verbalize to all of those we fellowship with. The Lord has given us many blessings that belong to us and will manifest on forever from generation to generation. Matthew chapter 1 establishes the genealogy of Jesus Christ as the son of David and the seed of Abraham. We all are a part of the lineage of Abraham; therefore, every promise and blessing God spoke to Abraham belongs to us and to our offspring.
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed “Genesis 12: 1-3
Sounds GREAT, doesn't it? Whatever God says is true. No matter what you’re socio-economic background, career status, or origin is. You can believe God's promise that you will be blessed… and all those connected to you will be blessed. Anyone today can respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ and be saved. The Gospel is God’s offer of salvation to a perishing world. If you obey the Word of God, you are automatically a recipient in the spiritual promises of God. In Genesis 17:8 God formed a nation from the children of Abraham and gave them the land of Canaan, the Promised Land forever.
"And I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land of your temporary residence, all the land of Canaan all the land of Canaan as an eternal possession and I will be a God to them.”
God has promised us an inheritance. We are full, legal heirs of one important gift, His Spirit. His Spirit is a blessing to us that continues from generation to generation. The “Holy” spirit allows us to understand God’s will and experience His first hand direction for our lives. How can those of us who have a relationship with Christ receive these blessings for us, those who stand with us, and those who come after us? We must FOCUS. Focus on the blessings and promises the Lord has made and make them a constant presence in your life. Remember blessings are not always tangible, for believers they are spiritual.
"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." - Proverbs 10:22.
Scripture of the Day: "For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." - Psalm 100:5
Numb To It
It’s a very hard thing to admit or accept. But the truth is that sometimes we can be very insensitive and thoughtless when it comes to realizing how blessed we are. There are so many blessings that we overlook and take for granted that cause us to miss the great opportunities to express gratitude and appreciation.
A few years ago, as I was going about my daily routine, I immediately began having sharp pains in my abdomen area. After a few minutes they would leave. A few hours would pass and no pain. Then out of nowhere, they’d come back again.
This process went on throughout most of the day until it became unbearable. I drove myself to the local health facility and called my wife to meet me there. After a few hours of being examined, I was told what the problem was and then told that there was no immediate solution. My cecum had flipped over. This muscle is a body part that connects the small and large intestine together and allows the body to process waste. At the risk of explaining too much, let’s just say that nothing that I’d eaten or drank moved – for days! And what was even more frustrating was that there was nothing that could be done. I had to deal with this inconsistent pain and discomfort for days. Fortunately, my cecum decided to be nice to me and after about four days decided to flip back over. But I learned a few valuable lessons through all of this.
1. I learned that there are parts of the human body that we may never hear about that have to work in order for us to go about our daily activities with no thought whatsoever.
2. I learned how awesome and unique God is as a creator that He could design such a beautiful masterpiece as the human body to function in ways that only He could have orchestrated.
3. I learned to take a moment and express gratitude not just for the things that are happening in our lives, but also for the things that we may not be aware of, but that we’re protected from.
4. I learned to appreciate the ‘unknown’ blessings.
These ‘unknown’ blessings can include blessings that we have overlooked for generations. Some of our families are blessed with generations of good health, solid academic successes, highly talented individuals, creative ideas, and steady relationships. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you were to take the time to reflect today, you would probably be able to write a page length’s work of blessings that have made its way through multiple generations in your family. Have you ever stopped to simply say, “thank you” for this?
In our focus scripture today, the psalmist recognizes that everything that we experience and enjoy in life can easily be dismissed or destroyed from our lives. So he simply asks God (paraphrase), “Lord, teach us to enjoy what we have and enjoy it well…” That’s a nice way to ask God not to allow you to ever become numb, cold or overlook the blessings that are right in front of you. I couldn’t appreciate the work that my cecum was doing until it decided to flip one day (no pun intended). Now, there are some days that I remember those four days of pain and I appreciate God that today my cecum is working properly.
Before something flips on you, I’d encourage you to recognize it, not be numb to it, and simply say, “Thank You.” You’ll feel better about it. I know I do.
Scripture Of The Day: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The Latter
In the word of God there’s one subject that has so much power, and that’s the “latter”. I love this word because it’s associated with the future, the end portion of something, what’s to come, the last, the best, the long delayed, and what we have to look forward to. As children of the Most High God, we are promised to experience this that is described in the word. You see, this is not just something that we are to sing about, preach about, and talk about, but we are to experience it! Picture someone who has walked with the Lord for 20, 40 or 50 years, and still have not realized that they are a part of the latter that the prophet Joel spoke about, the latter that the prophet Haggai spoke about. On the natural side, all of us, if we make it, are going to have our “latter days and years.”
Joel 2:21-29, talks about the promise of the latter rain, and the restoring of the years that were eaten from us by “the locusts”. He speaks in verse 23, “And rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you - the former rain and the latter rain in the first month.” The floodgates of heaven will be opened and the blessings of the Lord that far exceeds our basic needs will come pouring down. Yes, He’s given us the former rain faithfully, but we’re talking about “new rain, the latter rain!” What really encouraged me to write this devotion was when I read about HIS Spirit whom He gives to all believers, and how sons and daughters shall prophesy and old men shall dream dreams, and the young men shall see visions! You may be one of the fathers or mothers, sons or daughters, or one of the older or young men! Each generation will experience this “latter rain!” The prophet Haggai, prophesied about another latter, the “latter temple (house).” There was a call from God for the people to rebuild His house. He wanted to know why folks were living in luxurious houses while His house was lying in ruins! If they would do this, this is what they were promised. “The glory of this latter temple (house) shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9). This is promised to us today. We are given the opportunity to see this glory of God, if we reorganize our priorities and place the worship of the LORD first in our lives.
Scripture of the Day: “Listen to counsel and receive instruction. That you may be wise in your latter days.” - Proverbs 19:20
My Cup Runneth Over
The blessings of Abraham belong to you (Galatians 3:8). As a believer you are a joint heir to The Kingdom (Romans 8:17). Your benefits are the best ever. You receive blessings on earth as it is in heaven. You even have blessings stored up for you. You are blessed coming in and going out. You are blessed in the field and in the city (Deuteronomy 28:3). Everywhere your feet tread upon belongs to you. Where ever The Lord leads you, you will prosper. You prosper in wisdom and in knowledge. You prosper in health and in strength. You prosper in your finances, so you can be a blessing to The Kingdom. Your children prosper and their children.
You are blessed! You belong to The Father, God almighty Himself, Who has abundance. Your family is rich! We have accesses to it all. If we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness all things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). He promised to give us good measure, pressed down, shaking together, and running over (Luke 6:38). Our God said He will supply all of our need according to His riches and glory (Philippians 4:19). The blessings of Abraham belong to us, if we are in a place of obedience. Are we tithing, praying, seeking God, and doing what He says to do? If you are and you feel you haven’t received enough, do more. He wants more of you. He wants more of your time. He wants more of your heart. The Lord wants you to become more like Him. Use Him as an example. He has already done it all for you.
Now He wants more of you. He became poor so you may become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). It’s already down. You are blessed! You shall reap if you faint not (Galatians 6:9). God has ordained you to be blessed, to live blessed, and to bless others. We are the generation He has chosen to do just that. We have to make our minds up to do what we should to please our Father to receive the outpour. We are a blessed generation and our blessings come from The Lord.
Scripture of the Day: He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” - Luke 11:28
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Hope From A Family Tree
The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 teaches us there is hope for the future and the future of our families. Most of us probably don't have any murderers or prostitutes in our family tree like Jesus did, but we may have some adulterers, liars, and cheats. Yet God can intervene.
What state is your family in right now? Men, are you being the spiritual leader in your family that God has called you to be? God has called you to be a leader to your wife, to love her as Christ loves the church (see Ephesians 5:25). He has called you to be a representative of himself to your children, a model for them to look to.
A wife is to love her husband (see Titus 2:4) and respect him (see Ephesians 5:33). When is the last time you told your husband that you loved him? He needs encouragement. He needs to be affirmed. He needs to know that you appreciate and notice all of the things he does for you. You need to tell your husband that you love him.
Parents, are you setting an example for your children to follow? It is so tragic when we see the bad behavior that parents practiced being practiced by their children—and even by their grandchildren. But God can intervene and change things.
No matter where we are in life, we need to be faithful to God. And if you have made a mess of things, the good news is that Jesus can clean up messes. He can untangle things. He can sort things out. If you will commit your life to Him, He will forgive you and transform you, no matter what you have done up to this point. But you must ask for His help.
A wife is to love her husband (see Titus 2:4) and respect him (see Ephesians 5:33). When is the last time you told your husband that you loved him? He needs encouragement. He needs to be affirmed. He needs to know that you appreciate and notice all of the things he does for you. You need to tell your husband that you love him.
Parents, are you setting an example for your children to follow? It is so tragic when we see the bad behavior that parents practiced being practiced by their children—and even by their grandchildren. But God can intervene and change things.
No matter where we are in life, we need to be faithful to God. And if you have made a mess of things, the good news is that Jesus can clean up messes. He can untangle things. He can sort things out. If you will commit your life to Him, He will forgive you and transform you, no matter what you have done up to this point. But you must ask for His help.
Scripture Of The Day: "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people."- Luke 1:68 (NKJV)
Monday, June 6, 2011
You Are On God’s Mind
When my wife and I were waiting for our daughter to be born, we wondered what she would look like. Now that she is here, I have looked at her countless times.
She is so precious to me, and I know every detail of her face. I know when she is happy, and I know if something is wrong.
That is how God views you and me. He loves us abundantly, more than our minds can understand, and He is thinking about us all the time. As Psalm 115:11-12 says, “The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us.” It is no coincidence that these two phrases are together. His thoughts toward us, His desires, are that we be blessed.
Scripture Of The Day: "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee."- Psalm 139:17-18 (NKJV)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)