A blessing is something good in our lives that ultimately comes from God!
Something we can do to bring us closer to God is to “count our blessings,” which means to think about all of the things that God has provided for us and our family. Examples might be: the Bible so we can read God’s word, food, a clean, safe place to sleep, our pets, a sunny day, or the ability to go to a doctor who will make us well. What else can you think of? Make a list of blessings with your family and then read it to God in prayer so He knows how appreciative you are!
Sometimes even a hard experience can be a blessing because it teaches us that we need to rely on God every day of our lives. When faithful Christians go through tough times, their characters are strengthened because they learn to depend on God using prayer while watching for His leadings. They can use difficult experiences to help shape their characters to be more like Jesus, copying HIS wonderful character.
We can also BE a blessing to those around us – this means being a positive influence on others, like being kind and unselfish, or being willing to share or help out. Can you be a blessing to someone today? If someone has been a blessing to YOU, it’s nice to tell them so!
You may have been at a meal where someone is asked to “say a blessing” before everyone eats. In this case, the word “blessing” is a reference to prayer, when we thank God for the meal.
Switching to the verb form, “to bless,” we see many examples in the Bible where God “blessed” certain groups or individuals. This means that He showed them special favor. God is a wonderful gift-giver!
God blessed Mary, the mother of Jesus, in choosing her for the tremendous honor of giving birth to the Savior of the world! Luke records Elizabeth saying to Mary, “…‘God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed…’” (Luke 1:42, NLT)
Jesus taught us to be kind even to those who mistreat us. In Luke, he said, “…love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” (Luke 6:27, 28, NLT)
So, what is a blessing? The word “blessing” has a few different meanings: as something good from God (even if it’s a difficult experience, because those help produce good characters!), or it can refer to a prayer. “To BE a blessing” means to be a positive influence on someone. Ggod blessed certain groups or individuals in the Bible by showing them special favor. Jesus taught us to bless those who are unkind to us.
We definitely feel BLESSED when we have a relationship with God and Jesus!
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
