I AM BLESSED!
August 2014
I AM
BLESSED! Yes, indeed I am. I am grateful that Yahweh has bestowed on me
the Blessings of Sunshine, as well as the Blessings of Rain. The Blessings of Day, as well as the
Blessings of Night. The Blessings of
Rest, as well as the Blessings of Work.
The Blessings of Summer, as well as the Blessings of Winter. The Blessings of Receiving, as well as the
Blessings of Giving…
In our
covetous hearts (and perhaps even corrupted hearts), whenever we refer to
blessings, we are just thinking about the “good stuff”. We are thinking about wealth… health…
prosperity… promotion… enjoyment… easy life… material possessions… Faulty
theology, inadequate preaching, and our own natural inclination (old nature)
have indoctrinated us to such follies!
When we
read the Word of God, we often gravitate towards the promises while overlooking
the commandments. And even so, when we
look at the blessings, we fail to see full spectrum of blessings from God’s
perspective. Considers these Scriptures:
Blessed
are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn…
Matthew
5:3-4
Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness…
Matthew
5:10
Blessed
are you when people insult you… falsely say all kinds of evil against you
Matthew
5:11
It is
more blessed to give than to receive…
Acts
20:35
Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trials…
James
1:12
We need
to re-think and re-orientate our understanding about blessings. Otherwise, the Blessings of Sunshine may
become a snare to us; because we do not know how to live in times of the
Blessings of Night… If not, the Blessings
of Rest may make us slothful, and we complain when the Blessings of Work come
upon us…
IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE CLICHÉ SERIES:
There are
just too many nice sentimental clichés out there! We like to share them and/or repost
them. Many clichés give people a pseudo
feel good fix. Some like to use clichés
as victory chants or inspirational slogans in various circumstances in their
lives. I call these “FEEL-GOOD-CLICHÉS”…
Feel-Good-Clichés
always sound good. Almost everybody
likes them because they make us feel good.
But often, they merely present a one-sided truth; which sentimentally,
simplistically and shallowly “encourage” us.
I do not
quite like Feel-Good-Clichés. With
enough repetition, such clichés often (erroneously) evolve to become
principles, or even Bible Doctrines. But
they are not! On the other hand, some clichés
may even contradict the Word of God.
So, I am
making special effort to write and compose sayings that will be more Biblical,
more balanced and more accurate. And, I
am also making effort to “critique” some popular clichés. If the Lord so lead you, I would like to
enlist your help to rectify our addiction to simplistic positive thinking. Share, repost, and promote the poster
above. Thank you!
