Lesson 10 – Blessed in Our Homes

Proverbs 3:33 (NIV)
"The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous."

While some take this proverb at face value, claiming life will be an easy one for every true believer, the experience of believers throughout the centuries tells us otherwise. Life doesn't always come up roses for the believer, and certainly, the wicked seem to get ahead more than we think they deserve.

When some read this, they use it as an excuse to deny the faith, like those who say they can't worship a God who allows suffering in the world, even if the curse is on the unbeliever. Others claim to accept its simplest reading, but then struggle when they face suffering, wonder if their righteousness is at fault. How good is good enough to avoid suffering?

So what then do we do with this verse?

I think the answer lies in a clearer understanding of God's blessing. The trouble is, we apply our own ideas of what a blessing would be as we interpret this verse. Most of us see blessings as an easy life, success in all we do, and plenty of wealth and happiness. Sure, those are blessings from God, but I don't think they are the blessing referred to in this verse.

The whole story of Christianity carries the theme that all of creation is cursed by sin, falling with Adam and Eve as they chose the path of disobedience. But with faith in Christ, we are no longer cursed, but have received a righteousness that is of God. We are declared holy. In this way, the believer is blessed. Surely this verse carries this idea when it speaks of righteousness.

But the verse still goes further. Here it speaks of a blessing and a curse upon the home. And while salvation is an individual decision of every person, there is a sense of God's blessing on the home of the believer. Paul hints of this in 1 Corinthians when he writes of a home being sanctified by the believer, even when the spouse is not of the family of God. Where a believer present, God considers that home under his umbrella of blessing, even when the whole family has not accepted Jesus as Savior.

These are words of comfort for those married to an unbelieving spouse. In spite of the situation you find yourself in, be assured that God's hand of blessing is upon your home. While we cannot say for sure how this blessing will be played out in individual families, we can know and trust that it will be for the good of Christ's kingdom.

Lesson 9 – Blessed through Abraham

Genesis 18:18-19 (NIV)
" Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

Our Lord is a covenant making God, and this is just one of several passages where he commits himself to Abraham and his descendants. While the promise God gives this family of becoming a great and powerful nation remains relevant to today's Mideast claims over lands in and near Israel, the part of this covenant which still resides on the church today is the promise of a blessing which comes to all nations. Through Abraham, all nations would be blessed.

While I won't point to an extensive Bible study on this topic, the New Testament clearly teaches that it is through the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that this blessing would be fulfilled through the Lord. Jesus is the only promise to this covenant. Through Jesus, all peoples may come to a right relationship with God. This is the blessing which comes to us through Abraham.

In a perversion of this promise, some claim that this blessing would come about through another prophet. While those who follow this line of thinking rightly claim Abraham as the father of faith, they ignore God's promise to bless the world through Isaac and Jacob. To get around this difficulty, they've gone as far as to rewrite Old Testament events (though thousands of years later), declaring their writings surpass the Bible, freeing themselves to deny Christ and to stake their claim on the land of Israel.

While this is a very sensitive issue, it is clear that God's blessing of our salvation comes only through Christ as a direct fulfillment of this covenant with Abraham. And while God did promise a large nation through Abraham's other children, he also told Abraham they would not be the lineage through which the promise would be given. The blessing for all nations comes only through Christ, through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Satan's way seems to be to try to confuse God's truth. He's a spin doctor to the max, taking the truth and twisting it for evil. While it is difficult to question one's birth and religious heritage, as we lovingly remain faithful to Christ, the world will take notice and receive a blessing, and it will come about God's way alone.

Lesson 8 – Blessed Are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12 (NIV)
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Here, the attitude to have is one of rejoicing and gladness, though not simply in the persecutions coming from those who oppose Christ, but simply in being found worthy to bear the name of Christ.

If you're like me, you've probably never really liked this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Who wants to have a sunny outlook on life when things are going bad, and in particular when you are being personally attacked in some way or another?

I'm convinced that many of the trials which I see hitting our church's younger families come about because they have recently committed themselves to Christ. And while they may not understand what is going on, Satan does, and he brings these believers into the crucible. Persecutions, whether a direct attack on us for the name of Christ, or in some other indirect way which just seems to be a life of troubles, are Satan's way of trying to get us to turn away from God's promises for our lives.

This is what Satan tried with Job, and no doubt, things haven't changed much since. Whenever we stand for Christ, there will be persecutions.

So that leads to the real question. How is it possible to rejoice and be glad in the face of persecutions? Of course, the Bible is not teaching us to go around saying all is good, even when it is not. And likewise, this isn't an opportunity for us to train our emotions to see things as rosy when in fact, all is not well. Some believers try those roads, but they invariably find themselves feeling guilt when they can't keep up the charade for very long.

What Jesus is telling us to do is to count it as joy whenever we face troubles, for that is an indication that we belong to Christ. That is the real blessing. To be the Lord's, regardless of what Satan would throw our way.

Lesson 7 – Blessed Are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7-9 (NIV)
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

These three attitudes - mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking – all relate to loving others with the same love given to us without merit in Christ. Those who are blessed in the kingdom not only love God, but make it their practice to give away God's love to others.

Mercy is an attitude we all want when it applies to our own faults, but we hesitate to give it away except when we think it is earned or their heart has had a change of mind. We tend to give mercy only when it is in our best interests. But in Christ's eyes, mercy loves that person who has wronged us, even when their actions have been unlovable.

Pure in heart describes the way we relate to others, not only in our deeds, but also in our words and thoughts. Most believers tend to treat people well, but truth be known, I don't think our thoughts for each other are often so pure. In Christ's definition of purity, even our thoughts toward others reflect God's love. Not only do we practice what we preach, but we think it inwardly as well.

Peacemaking implies going out of the way to restore relationships. When it comes to our friends and family members, most of us are willing to do this, particularly after some time has passed. But what about when the rift is between you and someone you don't know or don't already care for? In Christ's economy, peacemaking speaks of a heart seeking reconciliation even when there is no other basis for coming back together.

Jesus would later tell his disciples that the world would know they were Christians by the love they would show for each other. That's what these "be-attitudes" are all about, shaping our hearts so we can love others. Of course, the world won't be drawn to Christ if we only love other Christians, or those like us in other ways. Instead, the world is looking for a people who are different. They are looking for a people who are willing to love the unlovable.

I have to wonder, is this how our community would describe those of our church? Are we merciful, pure in heart, and seeking to be peacemakers? Or are we just like everyone else, with no hint of the Christ whom we claim to worship?

To receive God's blessings of mercy, to see God, to be identified with Christ, we need the Lord's love in our hearts.

Lesson 6 – Blessed Are Those Meekly Seeking Righteousness

Matthew 5:5-6 (NIV)
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

The next attitudes we're to have to receive God's blessings are meekness, along with a hunger and thirst. While the latter is clearly spelled out as a hunger and thirst for righteousness, we're not told much about meekness.

As with the first two we looked at, these are also attitudes of the heart which lead to salvation. Meekness is the realization I can't do a thing to atone for my sins on my own. Meekness is coming before God in humility, not demanding anything from him, bowing my spirit low before him in reverence and fear.

We come this way to God because our hearts are empty. We desire righteousness, but we've come up short without Christ. You see, no one comes to salvation on one's own merit. That's why we must come in meekness, hungering and thirsting for the righteousness that only Jesus Christ can give.

I invite you to join me in faith. Come inherit the earth as a joint heir with Christ. Be filled with the righteousness which is only Christ's to give.

Lesson 5 – Blessed Are the Poor and Mournful

Matthew 5:3-4 (NIV)
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Most have heard of the Beatitudes – "attitudes" for "be"ing – from Christ's Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, Jesus offers nine blessings to those who approach the kingdom of God according to these attitudes.

The first of these blessings come to the one poor in spirit and mourning. To these people, Jesus promises the kingdom of heaven. These are the ones who receive comfort in this life.

I've always believed that these first two attitudes relate to the condition of the heart. They challenge me to ask, "Am I one who sees the ugliness of my own sin the way God sees it." Can I say that I cry out in my heart over the lost condition of my life apart from God? God only brings these blessings when I look upon my heart in this same way.

Even as believers, we need to remain burdened over sin's continuous assault on our lives, for these attitudes toward sin should last a life-time. Every day, we need to be sensitive towards the pain we bring upon our Lord through sin. For when we're most sensitive, then we are most thankful to our Lord for our undeserved salvation.

I've always been intrigued with David, one whom was after God's own heart. You'll remember that David was known to ask the Lord to search his heart. This was a check of his attitudes. I think we need a lot more of that. We need to cry out to the Spirit to show us our sins, driving us to be poor in spirit, and to mourn over our sins.

Those who inherit the kingdom and receive God's comfort are those who are poor in spirit and cry out over sin.

Lesson 4 – Blessed in Our Delight

Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

It doesn't really surprise me that God's blessings come with conditions. For unless we agree to live according to God's will, there is simply no basis for any blessing. You could even say God's offer of grace, a blessing which is never deserved, also has its conditions, to include a requirement for a personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Here, the promise is of a blessing on the one who delights in God's word and makes it his practice to meditate upon it. This is the one whose life shuns the wisdom of the wicked, refuses the way of sinners, and flees from friendship with those who mock our God.

The psalmist goes on to liken this blessing to a tree deeply rooted in streams of waters, producing fruit in season and not shedding leafs in the heat of the sun. This pictures the security belonging to one rooted in Christ. God is our provision and we shall not be moved. The psalmist goes on to say the Lord watches over the ways of his own. He cares for those who are made righteous in Christ.

What this tells me is that the events of my life belong to God. I can trust him to sustain me in all my needs. I belong to him and live only for his pleasure. I can be assured that God's eye is upon me. This is my blessing.

While I'm familiar enough with the rest of the Bible to know that this blessing doesn't translate into a life with no problems, I can be assured my life belongs wholeheartedly to God.

Lesson 3 – Blessed in Our Humanity

Genesis 5:2 (NKJV)
He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.

This is a blessing God gives to all peoples, regardless of belief in Jesus Christ. It is the blessing of our humanity, our nature. It is that which makes us uniquely mankind. And while we celebrate the rest of creation, we must never forget the special blessing of our humanity.

This blessing which makes our position special is not that we're at the top of the food chain, but that we've been created in God's image.

Of course, this doesn't mean we're like God when it comes to power, wisdom, worthiness, and a whole host of things which define God, for life experiences tell us otherwise, often times in all too painful ways. But when it comes to being created in God's image, I think of two special things. These are our blessing of being mankind.

The first is that we've been created in God's image to have a soul. This is makes us different from other animals, for both God and mankind are the same through our spiritual nature. From our earliest days, we're inward thinkers. We're introspective. Some call this our consciousness, or our inner being, or our selves, but this is what makes people uniquely blessed of God.

We're the only ones with a soul. We're the only one of the animal kingdom with the capacity to make moral decisions. Our spiritual nature tells us right from wrong. Without it, we'd have no society at all, with the strongest ruling according to the forces of their might.

That leads to the second aspect of this blessing--we're created to live in relationship. That's the whole idea point male and female. God made one from the other, and then called us both mankind. We can't be separated. We're both needed to identify humanity.

At its core, our sexual nature is all about living in relationship. This is God's image given to us. This is the image which tugs upon our souls to know God, to want to commune with him, to desire to please him.

In recent decades, people have begun to struggle with their self-image. Am I really male or female, or even both? Am I really any different from the rest of the animals? Am I just part of natural selection and evolution? The Bible warns that these types of questions come when people purposefully forget the blessing we have in being created in God's image.

When God is out of the equation, we're forced to see ourselves as nothing special at all. No wonder people are so messed up. The spirit nature continuously tells us we've got it all wrong, calling us to reach out and accept God's blessing for ourselves, but the rest of humanity says there is no God!

The only way out of this struggle is to embrace God's blessing, that he's created us uniquely as humanity, and he remains ready to have a relationship with you.

Lesson 2 – Blessed by the Sabbath

Genesis 2:3 (NKJV)
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

While this verse isn't a direct blessing on God's people, I think it provides an indirect blessing we shouldn't ignore. The creation account records that God rested on the seventh day, having finished the work of creation.

In the Ten Commandments, we learn this Sabbath was to be considered holy. It belongs to God. It is set aside for his purposes. Jesus later explains that while the Sabbath belongs to God, he gave it for our benefit. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, thus reflecting the purpose of God's blessing.

Clearly, we must not treat the Sabbath like all other days. God blessed it and gave it to us, so we need to recognize its importance in shaping our lives. As a day set aside unto the Lord for his purposes, it is to be a day in which we are also set aside for the Lord.

Traditionally, the church meets together on one holy day per week, referred to as the Lord's Day and traditionally observed on Sunday ever since Christ's ascension. Churches assemble to remember Christ's sacrifice for sin. We assemble to lift our voices in worship. We call out to the Lord in prayer. We commit to obeying the Spirit as we consider holy Scriptures.

While these are of utmost importance in drawing near to the Lord, I also encourage you not to forget the example of our Lord on his first Sabbath. He rested. While God's work is also complete in terms of our salvation, there is surely more work to be done in us, for sanctification seems to be a life-long process. When it comes to committing ourselves to live as Christ, allowing the Spirit to be ever-changing our hearts, there should be no rest.

However, don't forget that God commanded Israel to be at rest on the Sabbath from their secular work. No trade, no harvesting, no carrying a burden. Stay put. And, while we live in the freedom of the New Testament, we'd do well to follow this example of rest, for among other benefits, it gives our hearts and minds time to hear the Lord's voice.

Sure, some have to work on Sunday, and some tasks which we face can't be deferred. I'm sure God understands. But we need to do our part to free our minds to hear from the Lord. That is what the Sabbath is all about.

For many of us, we need to find a way to move our minds from the tasks of the week. This might mean taking a swim, going for a jog, playing the piano (or the radio for that matter!), or walking the dog. The key is, we need to move from what we do daily to position ourselves to hear from the Lord.

At its heart, the Sabbath is a change. We move from doing old things, to doing new things. And in this change, we recognize the importance of the Lord in our lives and we give God time to make us into something new. I thank God for the Sabbath and invite you to join me weekly in giving a day unto the Lord.

Lesson 1 – Blessed to Multiply

Genesis 1:22 (NKJV)
And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 9:1 (NKJV)
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth."

"Be fruitful and multiply." These are the words God spoke to Adam and Eve at creation. These are the same words he declared to Noah and his sons after earth's destruction. These are words linked in Scripture to God's declaration of a blessing bestowed on those who were the crown of his creation.

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be the direct recipient of God's blessing. Likewise, I suspect I've already received his blessings and haven't taken enough time to even notice. And what does a blessing really mean? Surely it isn't limited to what we say at the dinner table. And wow would a blessing from God change my life? Surely I'd be changed for the good.

While we might discover some answers to these over the course of this study, from these initial verses, I don't think we would be wrong to conclude that God's blessing is still upon us. And this blessing comes with a mandate - be fruitful and multiply and have dominion.

God's intention is for us enjoy his creation, that we dominate creation, that we serve as a reflection of who he is upon this earth. And in this enjoyment and dominion, I think our Lord wants us to get a glimpse of his creative genius in setting not only this world, but the entire cosmos in order.

Of course, this mandate doesn't mean we should be a sort of "anything goes" occupant, wasting what we've now discovered to be limited resources, and killing off who species at a time by our appetites. We do have a responsibility here to take care of things. Otherwise, it will be difficult to be fruitful and multiply after we've wasted all we've been given!

The point is, God blessed us with both a position and a responsibility on this planet, and the whole world is there for us to enjoy. Every sunset, every ocean wave, every majestic mountain, every towering pine, and on and on, they are there to be enjoyed. So that's what we need to do. Let's make it our plan to get out, to celebrate the earth our Lord has given us, and as you do, thank God for blessing you in this way.