Our Pastor recently preached a sermon in which he addressed God’s blessings of Abraham. “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” Genesis 15:6″. I remembered that Abraham’s faith counted as righteousness toward him. I realized that our faith has been counted toward us as righteousness too. “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8
This revelation also caused me to think about the other blessings that Abraham had received. I wondered how many of those relate to us (the church and followers of Jesus Christ) as well, especially in light of Galatians 3:14. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
We would find many results if we were to do a google search of the blessings of Abraham. But most would be of “the seven” blessings of Abraham. I think, if we look at Abraham’s life, we would see that God blessed Abraham not just seven times, but many more. He has blessed us far more than just seven times as well.
But in looking at “the seven” blessings of Abraham, we see that God told him that He would bless him in multiple ways. “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2. And, as it turns out, these blessings of Abraham apply to us, the church.
God said that He would make Abraham a great nation. This meant that He would multiply Abraham’s family.
And God multiplies our family (the church/our brothers and sisters in Christ). He does this when we evangelize, whether by word, deed, or simply how we live out our lives. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.
God told Abraham that He would bless him.
And God promises to bless us too. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3. We will spend eternity with God (in Heaven) and our sins are forgiven (when we ask Jesus to become Lord of our lives). Then, God provides us with every spiritual blessing! Could we be more blessed than that?!?!
Then, God told Abraham that He would make his (Abraham’s) name great. God said that Abraham’s name and identity would be associated with greatness. Our identity is also associated with greatness. Scripture calls us SONS and DAUGHTERS of God. The God of all creation has adopted us as His own beloved children. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1.
And our identity is in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. Is there anything that we could be called or anyone with whom we could be associated that would denote a more substantial degree of greatness?!?!
God told Abraham that he would be a blessing. If we have servant’s hearts and minister to others (as led by the Holy Spirit), could we be a greater blessing?!?!? “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4
Then God promises that He has a few more blessings for Abraham. “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3
The first is a two-fold blessing. God said that He would bless those who blessed Abraham and that He would curse those who cursed Him.
God also promises that we (and others) will reap what we sow. So, if we (or others) bless, we in turn will be blessed. “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6.
God will also curse those who curse us… vengeance belongs to God. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free” Deuteronomy 32:35-36.
So, those who bless us will be blessed. And those who curse us will be cursed.
God’s final promise is that all families on earth will be blessed through Abraham. All the families of the earth have received an invitation to have a personal relationship with God. The path to Him is through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham.
And, through the Church members (followers of Jesus Christ), families of the earth can have that relationship as well. God commands us to go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15.
God blessed Abraham abundantly and, in virtually the same way, He has blessed us (the Church). Most of the promises of God in the scriptures are for those who are followers of Jesus Christ.
But, to know and understand the blessings of God, we have to read His word. We have to study His word. And those promises are incredible comfort, joy, and promise for us as we traverse the road from here to glory. Those promises help us navigate and weave between the landmines that are this life. Get to know God more intimately. Read and study His word.
Father God, we thank you for your blessings. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your incredible love and desires for us. And we thank you for Jesus through whom we can have an intimate and personal relationship with you. We thank you, Holy Spirit, for your leading and for the way in which you help us study and understand God’s word. Remind us of those promises and blessings when the enemy strikes and when we need to share them with others who need them. We love you, Father, and we pray these things in your precious and Holy name, Jesus. Amen.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Once there, please pray the prayer that you find outlined on this page. Through it, you can begin to receive the blessings that God planned for you before the foundations of the world. Please pray this prayer and once you have, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I’d love to help you grow in the Lord and to be in prayer for you.
Luv Ya!
