‘Abiding’ blessings.
“Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” (Ps 128:1-2)
Are God’s blessings a reward or a result? Many times we think that when God promises something, it works like magic; we do our side of the bargain, and then what He promised happens. But I do not think that is how it works. I believe that when God asks us to do something, say for example the Ten Commandments, it is not a to-do list that He will come and check how many we have kept and bless us accordingly, rather, the commands are to help us relate with Him and the people around us so that we may be at peace, hence blessed. We should not just seek the hand of God, but rather His face, because this is what we were created to do –to abide in Him.
When we obey God, we are doing what we were created to do, and so life runs smoothly for us. For example, every machine is made for specific purposes; if well used without forcefully multitasking, it works effectively and efficiently. But many times people may use a machine for other purposes other than the one for which it was created. This produces friction and frustration, reducing its lifespan and wearing it down. Same with us – God did not create us to suffer, be cursed and live miserably, but rather to have joyful and constructive fellowship with Him and with one another, and to worship Him. If we live in the purpose for which we were created, it is only natural that we will enjoy life and understand that we actually lack nothing. The LORD will be our Shepherd and we will have everything that we need; this then is how we will live a blessed life, without strife.
How do we live in God’s purpose for our loves? If God has given me the gift of art and design and has shown me for sure, that He wants me to use this gift to bless the world, and instead I ignore that and pursue something else that I consider more prestigious, say for example medicine, I would be sinning, my relationship with God will be corrupted and I will never be happy, because I will be like the machine put to incorrect use. This is probably why we have grumbling doctors, corrupt policemen and half-baked accountants. To honour and bless God in our careers, moral discipline, respectful relationships – this is in fact our own blessedness. Any other likely source ends in vanity.
Blessings are not a mere reward, but a result of obedience to God; the instruction to focus on today and all the days of our lives is ‘fear the Lord’, ‘walk in His ways’ – and Jesus similarly thus calls, ‘Abide in Me’ (John 15:4), and then only shall we receive abiding blessings.
Peace be with you!