Be a Blessing

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations." (Ps. 67:1-2)

How often have you desired God's blessing in your life? Is it OK to pray that God will bless us? The psalmist prays that. He cried out, "God be gracious to us and bless us." Notice, however, the prayer does not end there. He goes on with a "so that" to his prayer. God blesses us in order that He might get glory throughout all the earth.

From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation God's heart is for all the people's of the world. Every tribe and nation and tongue. Nation in the Bible, by the way, is "ethnos" which is a reference to people groups, not political and governmental borders. God desires that every people group hear His Word and know His glory.

So God blesses us in order that we might bless others. Whenever we hoard God's blessings to ourselves, they rot like the manna in the wilderness when the Israelites gathered too much and tried to keep it to themselves. It is right to pray for God's blessings as long as we desire to be used by Him to bless others.

Filled Up

"that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:19)

The apostle Paul reaches across the span of almost 200o years to pray for us. He prays that God might work in our hearts in such a way that we may comprehend the love of Christ, how deep and wide it really is. He prays that we might be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in our inner most being and that we might have deep roots in our faith.

I pray that for you and for me as well. I want to challenge you this morning to open a Bible to Ephesians 3, and read verses 14 through 21. Then be still and listen to God speak to your heart. Ask God to fulfill this prayer in your life today.

I encourage you to receive this word from the Bible. Let it become a part of you that you might be filled up to all the fullness of God.