Are you going to be a Blessing?

To bless someone is not just merely give away something or your time. To bless someone is to give to them what you have been given in abundance. Sometimes is our fiances, it is our time, it is our talent, and etc. Whatever the case to be a blessing unto a person brings tension in our minds, well I know within me, what is the return on this investment of my resources to be a blessing. If we are honest we tend to camp in this thought more times than we say we do. I am not here to beat us over the head about what we should do or not do, but my recent experiences in receiving a blessing from several people makes me stop and ask... how much are we to give away to bless others despite the inconvenience it brings to me? After reading various meanings of the word bless in the Hebrew and the Greek, I have come to a conclusion if we are not be a blessing of grace, a blessing of our time, being a blessing of our resources we fall short of what God has done for us.

Think of the time when Christ fed the four thousand and five thousand, amazing that it all came from a few fish and few loaves of food to feed so many. Why did Christ bless those in such a manner? Was is it show them His capability given to Him from the Father? Or was it something else? Most people would point out that the disciples came to him and ask how are we going to feed these people that having been following Jesus and the disciples. What was Jesus' retort to them for trying to send the people away He told them to feed them. The disciples replied all we have is not enough to feed these thousands of men not including women and their children. This amazes me, what happens next, Christ says bring what you have to me. When he received the little amount of food from His disciples, He blessed the food - He gave thanks for what has been provided by God. Then he told His disciples to pass it out. They did and at the end they had left overs that filled 12 baskets.

Great story Mike, so what? The so what is we bring what we have to help others and praise God for it and see God increase the provision for the need that needs to be met. Jesus was showing us a lot in this situation, the one thing that I have gleaned from it is God wants to and will provide, all we have to do is give what we have, and for each of us it is different, but the message is still the same. In Proverbs it is says in the 11th chapter...

'One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.' (vv. 24-25)

I try my best to live in such manner but fall ever so short of doing it, I was reminded greatly about this principle this past couple of weeks. Lets give freely as we receive freely the gift of grace that is within Christ our Lord.