There is no better way for grandparents to love their grandchildren than to spend time with them making a memory. An ice cream or a toy doesn’t hurt either.
Our God is like that. He loves us and wants to bless us. He does it both directly through his providence and indirectly through the people who he brings into our lives.
Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NKJV).
God’s pleasure and our treasure go hand in hand. Having brought us into His kingdom, He wants to bless us with his presence. The kingdom is the place to be, because that is where God is free to bless us with all of the spiritual blessings found in Jesus Christ our lord.
Now in the Kingdom of God, our eyes are open to the work that He is doing in our lives through other people. We are right to observe that “You’re such a blessing” or “Wasn’t that a blessing”? We might even end a conversation by saying “God bless you!” When ‘Southern folks’ say “Bless your heart”, they may mean something slightly different.
It is worth noting that Jesus loved to bless people. His sermon on the Mount began with teachings that were intended to bless. The ‘Beatitudes’ describe how we might act to become the recipients of God’s blessings with the further effect that to do so results in our own happiness. When we know what it is that God approves and go on to do it, we have the best reason of all to be happy. Some have called these teaching the ‘be happy attitudes’, from the Greek word makários.
God wants each of us to be both blessed and happy.
The creative work of God in Genesis chapter one culminated in the creation of Man, both male and female, in His own image. The very next verse begins with the statement, “Then God blessed them . . .” (Genesis 1:28 NKJV). God’s blessing empowered human beings to do the very things for which he created them.
God wants us to know that the blessings that we experience have come from Him. They are freely given and ours to enjoy. But when we understand that they come from God and receive them as gifts, we are doubly blessed. Blessed and loved, all at the same time.
“The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.” (Psalm 145:9 NKJV)
May we then in good times and in bad, know that we are loved, and receive God’s gifts with thankfulness and happiness all mixed up together. Receiving this double portion from the Lord does not depend on where you live on earth, but upon living right now in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not about what you have; it is about the One whom you know.
Port Colborne