What makes a person blessed?

[jsr1221]

So I came across debates in different threads about being blessed and a few examples were being thrown around. Thought it's be appropriate to use them.. It seems like your typical Christian "I'm so blessed." Your typical Christian has a job. House. Family. Etc. These are all nice blessings. I've noticed that churches tend to use that blessing as a line, however. "We ask you to prayfully consider the amount of your offering and God will bless you tremendously." (this isn't about tithes and offerings, just an example). If someone gets saved in a tut in Africa, that person is still (most likely) going to live in a tut in Africa. That African will (most likely) never get the chance to see what a "blessed" life is in America. So I ask, what makes a person actually blessed? Jesus obviously doesn't love Americans and Europeans more than those in Africa. Yet I constantly hear around the church and among Christians "give and He will bless you tremendously." Are those in poor countries never to be blessed since they don't have anything to give, even after coming to know Christ? I want to know what exactly makes a person blessed, because it seems to be a word tossed around loosely and turned into materialism.

 

[MadParrotWoman]

You are quite right we do tend to mean being blessed in a materialistic way but we are truly blessed the moment we are saved because God blesses us with eternal life. Having a personal relationship with God is a blessing also.

 

[reneweddaybyday]

1 Timothy 6:

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

 

[oldethennew]

there are (((2))) kinds of BLESSINGS - (((PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL)))

DEUT. 28:2. = PHYSICAL, every-day life...
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken
unto the voice of The LORD thy God.

3.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle,
the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

....

then the 'other' kind of 'Blessings' are SPIRITUAL - there are many but PSALM 1 is a good example...

PSALM 1:1.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2.
But his delight is in the law of The LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.

3.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

and then there is the Sermon on the Mount BLESSINGS, which can all be traced back to the prophets,
this would fall under SPIRITUAL...

 

[Miri]

The thread reminds me of the following song.
Its based loosely on Job.
Its easy to feel blessed when things are going right, but not so easy
when they are going wrong.

Paul said for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. For that reason alone
we should feel blessed but in our humanness that is hard isn't it.

Lord bring me to that place where I can say the same with all sincerity.

[video=youtube_share;PnWKehsOXu8]http://youtu.be/PnWKehsOXu8[/video]

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Matthew 5:1-12 "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:[SUP]2 [/SUP]And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
[SUP]10 [/SUP]Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

 

[JennaLeanne]

Love this post ♡ Ya know the word "blessed" Means to be made holy.. We are blessed because we have been made holy... The whole blessing (in my humble opinion) is the forgiveness of Sin through our beautiful Lord Jesus.. It bothers me when people preach material blessings... I just don't think it's the work of the spirit to preach that. I'm not saying God dosent give us things.. Sure he does.. Everything should always be for his glory though.. Man sometimes I grumble about what I don't have.. Lord help me to be content with my earthly lot, whatever it is... I find it difficult when people preach prosperity because like u said we are no more blessed than our brothers and sisters in Africa who don't even have clean water. So to me no... "Being blessed" cannot be material. Alot will disagree with that though xx

 

[thepsalmist]

No longer fearing death is one awesome blessing!

 

[thepsalmist]

MAL 3

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

To me ... personally ... the tithe God talks about here is not necessarily the giving of material goods ... but whatever one has been given to offer. That might be time spent in the word, helping a neighbor who needs a hand, smiling at a stranger ...

Focus on God and His will as much as you can and you will surely be putting in the full tithe. Which brings the blessings ... again, not necessarily material ... how about peace, wisdom, love, less or no fear because one trusts God ...etc.

 

[PurerInHeart]

So I came across debates in different threads about being blessed and a few examples were being thrown around. Thought it's be appropriate to use them.. It seems like your typical Christian "I'm so blessed." Your typical Christian has a job. House. Family. Etc. These are all nice blessings. I've noticed that churches tend to use that blessing as a line, however. "We ask you to prayfully consider the amount of your offering and God will bless you tremendously." (this isn't about tithes and offerings, just an example). If someone gets saved in a tut in Africa, that person is still (most likely) going to live in a tut in Africa. That African will (most likely) never get the chance to see what a "blessed" life is in America. So I ask, what makes a person actually blessed? Jesus obviously doesn't love Americans and Europeans more than those in Africa. Yet I constantly hear around the church and among Christians "give and He will bless you tremendously." Are those in poor countries never to be blessed since they don't have anything to give, even after coming to know Christ? I want to know what exactly makes a person blessed, because it seems to be a word tossed around loosely and turned into materialism.

The bible answers itself. It talks of physical blessings and spiritual blessings. For example, "Kind words are like honeycomb- sweet to the soul and health to the bones." It's been proven that a cheerful attitude heals more than a grumpy attitude. Scientists put two of the same kind of plant- one in one room, and the other in another room. To one they played soothing classical music and spoke to it in calm and cheerful tones, it thrived. To the other they played angry heavy metal music and spoke to it in a harsh manner, it died.

The bible tells us how to be blessed in health, finance, relationships, and of course with eternal life. If we see the details of how we get blessed, it no longer seems like a blessing but a coincidence. Someone in Africa could learn of God and obey Him, and here comes a fresh water well built right by them. Here comes a truck of donated clothes. No, so far, that does not compare to the blessings of America. But it is possible for them to pass up most Americans, or even move to America. There are mansions in Africa. Yes, i believe someone anywhere in the world can be blessed tremendously.

However, God says if the desire of our heart is to get rich, that we will surely not go unpunished. The bible says he who loves money will never have money enough. It's hard for the poor to help the poor when they are poor themselves, but where is your limit if you could choose? At what point would you say, "I have all that I need, so this overflow needs to go to help others." I seen an interview with a man who lived in a mansion, plus had ten million dollars, and said he can't live on that, that he needs more. If you live that financially blessed you should sell your home, live in lower means, and share with others. Yes- that drastic. You should not be richer than the poorest member of your congregation. That's what the bible said about the first church- they shared that drastically with their brothers and sisters in Christ as if they were doing so for Christ Himself.

 

[Grace777x70]

We are blessed because Jesus took away all sin and the Lord does not impute sin on us because of Jesus' sacrifice.

To know that we have complete forgiveness of sin because we are in Christ - releases His life to flow out of us to be who we already are in Him - in the new creation - created in righteousness and holiness in our inner man who is in Christ.

Romans 4:6-8 (NASB)
[SUP]6 [/SUP] just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

[SUP]7 [/SUP] "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.

[SUP]8 [/SUP] "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."

 

[JennaLeanne]

We are blessed because Jesus took away all sin and the Lord does not impute sin on us because of Jesus' sacrifice.

To know that we have complete forgiveness of sin because we are in Christ - releases His life to flow out of us to be who we already are in Him - in the new creation - created in righteousness and holiness in our inner man who is in Christ.

Romans 4:6-8 (NASB)
[SUP]6 [/SUP] just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

[SUP]7 [/SUP] "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.

[SUP]8 [/SUP] "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."

AAAAAAAAAAMEN ♡♡♡♡♡

 

[AboundingGrace]

So I came across debates in different threads about being blessed and a few examples were being thrown around. Thought it's be appropriate to use them.. It seems like your typical Christian "I'm so blessed." Your typical Christian has a job. House. Family. Etc. These are all nice blessings. I've noticed that churches tend to use that blessing as a line, however. "We ask you to prayfully consider the amount of your offering and God will bless you tremendously." (this isn't about tithes and offerings, just an example). If someone gets saved in a tut in Africa, that person is still (most likely) going to live in a tut in Africa. That African will (most likely) never get the chance to see what a "blessed" life is in America. So I ask, what makes a person actually blessed? Jesus obviously doesn't love Americans and Europeans more than those in Africa. Yet I constantly hear around the church and among Christians "give and He will bless you tremendously." Are those in poor countries never to be blessed since they don't have anything to give, even after coming to know Christ? I want to know what exactly makes a person blessed, because it seems to be a word tossed around loosely and turned into materialism.

I would think that the African who understands the concept of covenant better than we do, would better understand the blessings of Abraham with the abundance of flocks and such, than we in modern America would.
The idea of materialism as an anathema is subject to the individual., in reality everyone needs the various comforts of life or be as poor as the African is considered to be.
In truth, to the poor African, we who enjoy our privileges of home with all of its modern conveniences, and car, etc are grossly materialistic.. if they happen to be of your mind concerning those who are richer than you.
I don't begrudge those who are richer than me (afterall I could by righteous windfall come into more money and consider myself blessed of God), I simply disapprove their perhaps ungodly means of getting it.

 

[crossnote]

We are bless by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone...hello?

 

[reneweddaybyday]

No longer fearing death is one awesome blessing!

Love these verses:

Hebrews 2:

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

 

[p_rehbein]

Just a shot in the dark here.................BUT.............the precious blood of Jesus Christ is what makes one worthy of being blessed by God............however, that may just be me, so................

 

[JennaLeanne]

Just a shot in the dark here.................BUT.............the precious blood of Jesus Christ is what makes one worthy of being blessed by God............however, that may just be me, so................

No my dear.. That isn't just you. . That is the beautiful Gospel.. Wow we ware so blessed!!!!!! Xxxxx

 

[jsr1221]

The thread reminds me of the following song.
Its based loosely on Job.
Its easy to feel blessed when things are going right, but not so easy
when they are going wrong.

Paul said for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. For that reason alone
we should feel blessed but in our humanness that is hard isn't it.

Lord bring me to that place where I can say the same with all sincerity.

[video=youtube_share;PnWKehsOXu8]http://youtu.be/PnWKehsOXu8[/video]

I thought of this song, too. And thank you, sister, for pointing out Job. Job is a classic example of what actual blessing is. It just bothers me that the church always goes the "give generously and you will be blessed heavily" route, along with whenever something good happens we (the church) tend to always say "God is SO good!" Although that may be true, saying that type of thing can come across as saying God isn't good when people die for no good apparent reason. And that when someone doesn't make it despite constant prayers, those praying feel they are worth less. The church needs to start watching how it preaches blessings, in my opinion.

 

[breno785au]

Matthew 5:1-12 "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:[SUP]2 [/SUP]And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
[SUP]10 [/SUP]Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Everyone, I mean everyone should read what that word 'blessed' meant in the Greek..I'll never forget it