Bless You, Blessings, Blessed, ...and Bless this Thread

[itty-bitty lamb]

Hello Friends in Jesus,

Thanksgiving is upon us and i kept on seeing the word 'Blessings' on home decorations, and i realized how much i really have no clue exactly what that meant. i suddenly had so many questions! So i started researching, and it has been an interesting journey for me. i would love to read any insight you guys might have on this. Any thoughts, any stories, any scriptures, any knowledge... open for discussion and i would love to see where it leads.

Some thought provoking questions i had that might kick us off -
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a 'gift'?
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a promise, when given by God?
~ Are blessings from God conditional?
~ Are the blessings from God in the Old Testament different from the blessings from God in the New Testament?
~ When a word from God is personally delivered to you, and He says 'you will be blessed', what exactly are you expecting to be blessed with?
~ How do you feel, or what do you think of, when someone says to you 'God bless you'
~ What are the kinds of blessings God gives to Christians today?
 

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

That's a wonderful question. For me, I consider a blessing simply something I am thankful for daily. These include the following

 

 

* My Salvation

* My Health

* My Loved Ones

* Opportunity to represent Jesus

* Animals

* Living in America instead of a place that's much worse

 

I could keep going, but I think you get the point. 

[AnOrangeCat]

2 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

~ Are blessings from God conditional?

I've been reading through the OT lately so conditional is very much on my mind. I feel like this one is a strong yes but it isn't the case 100% of the time. We see a lot of "If you follow My commandments then..." sort of things in the OT. In the NT we see in the letters to the seven churches there are also some conditional things. God is up front when there's conditions attached.

3 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

~ When a word from God is personally delivered to you, and He says 'you will be blessed', what exactly are you expecting to be blessed with?

Very dependent on context. What is it in relation to? When I get that it's usually in response to current circumstances that have been on my mind lately so it signals favorable but not necessarily easy outcomes. I got this in response to something that's been on my heart for a couple of years now. It's been a rocky road for sure but I trust that the eventual outcome will be good.

3 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

~ How do you feel, or what do you think of, when someone says to you 'God bless you'

I mostly just think of it as a Christian saying myself. In practice it's used in a manner that's very similar if not identical to "thank you". But I'm okay with that because if a stranger says it to me or I say it to them it's both polite and lets others know that we at least present as Christians.

[Mr. M]

10 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

Hello Friends in Jesus,

Thanksgiving is upon us and i kept on seeing the word 'Blessings' on home decorations, and i realized how much i really have no clue exactly what that meant. i suddenly had so many questions! So i started researching, and it has been an interesting journey for me. i would love to read any insight you guys might have on this. Any thoughts, any stories, any scriptures, any knowledge... open for discussion and i would love to see where it leads.

Some thought provoking questions i had that might kick us off -
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a 'gift'?
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a promise, when given by God?
~ Are blessings from God conditional?
~ Are the blessings from God in the Old Testament different from the blessings from God in the New Testament?
~ When a word from God is personally delivered to you, and He says 'you will be blessed', what exactly are you expecting to be blessed with?
~ How do you feel, or what do you think of, when someone says to you 'God bless you'
~ What are the kinds of blessings God gives to Christians today?
 

A walk of faith implies that we trust in God's Will for us

and accept as a blessing either abundance or lack.

Philippians 4:

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned,

in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound:

every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full

and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

Naturally, or should I say spiritually, the word blessing

should call to mind the beatitudes. 

Then there is the matter of the double blessing.

Matthew 5:

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:

for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Romans 4:

6 Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man,

unto whom God imputes righteousness without works,

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

With this in mind, we can fully comprehend Paul's statement:

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good

to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

[Mr. M]

10 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

Hello Friends in Jesus,

Thanksgiving is upon us and i kept on seeing the word 'Blessings' on home decorations, and i realized how much i really have no clue exactly what that meant. i suddenly had so many questions! So i started researching, and it has been an interesting journey for me. i would love to read any insight you guys might have on this. Any thoughts, any stories, any scriptures, any knowledge... open for discussion and i would love to see where it leads.

Some thought provoking questions i had that might kick us off -
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a 'gift'?
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a promise, when given by God?
~ Are blessings from God conditional?
~ Are the blessings from God in the Old Testament different from the blessings from God in the New Testament?
~ When a word from God is personally delivered to you, and He says 'you will be blessed', what exactly are you expecting to be blessed with?
~ How do you feel, or what do you think of, when someone says to you 'God bless you'
~ What are the kinds of blessings God gives to Christians today?
 

A believer's blessings are anchored to the Promise to Abram.

Galatians 3: 

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would

justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham

beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

[Mr. M]

34 minutes ago, Mr. M said:

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:

for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 10:

40 “He who receives you receives Me,

and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet

shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives

a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall

receive a righteous man’s reward. 

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup

of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly,

I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

2 minutes ago, Mr. M said:

And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;

 

[farouk]

12 hours ago, itty-bitty lamb said:

Hello Friends in Jesus,

Thanksgiving is upon us and i kept on seeing the word 'Blessings' on home decorations, and i realized how much i really have no clue exactly what that meant. i suddenly had so many questions! So i started researching, and it has been an interesting journey for me. i would love to read any insight you guys might have on this. Any thoughts, any stories, any scriptures, any knowledge... open for discussion and i would love to see where it leads.

Some thought provoking questions i had that might kick us off -
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a 'gift'?
~ Is a 'blessing' the same as a promise, when given by God?
~ Are blessings from God conditional?
~ Are the blessings from God in the Old Testament different from the blessings from God in the New Testament?
~ When a word from God is personally delivered to you, and He says 'you will be blessed', what exactly are you expecting to be blessed with?
~ How do you feel, or what do you think of, when someone says to you 'God bless you'
~ What are the kinds of blessings God gives to Christians today?
 

Hi @itty-bitty lamb 'Blessed' in the Beatitudes in Matthew is sometimes translated 'Happy'..........

(Similar idea in Psalm 1.)

[Mr. M]

Just now, farouk said:

Hi @itty-bitty lamb 'Blessed' in the Beatitudes in Matthew is sometimes translated 'Happy'..........

(Similar idea in Psalm 1.)

Spiritually, content.

2 hours ago, Mr. M said:

I have learned,

in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 

 

[farouk]

8 hours ago, Mr. M said:

Spiritually, content.

1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 

 

@Mr. M I'm sure this is all part of it, yes.

[itty-bitty lamb]

20 hours ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

That's a wonderful question. For me, I consider a blessing simply something I am thankful for daily. These include the following

* My Salvation

* My Health

* My Loved Ones

* Opportunity to represent Jesus

* Animals

* Living in America instead of a place that's much worse

I could keep going, but I think you get the point. 

Thank you for replying, and yes Amen! Those are wonderful things to be thankful for; good things in our lives considered as blessings because we are thankful for them. It reminds me of the scripture James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

17 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

I've been reading through the OT lately so conditional is very much on my mind. I feel like this one is a strong yes but it isn't the case 100% of the time. We see a lot of "If you follow My commandments then..." sort of things in the OT. In the NT we see in the letters to the seven churches there are also some conditional things. God is up front when there's conditions attached.

i do agree, as you said, not 100% of the time. Because we see God also blessing nonbelievers every single day without conditions attached. But perhaps it is more accurate to say that God's blessings are given to those deserving.

Also, i've found that the blessings of God in the OT are mainly earthly possessions. Blessings of promised lands, and blessings of inheritance, or blessings of wealth. Whereas we kind of see that the blessings from God changed in the NT, being now blessings dealing with the inward self - blessed with His Spirit, blessed with His peace, blessed with happiness, blessed with righteousness through Jesus Christ. 

17 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

Very dependent on context. What is it in relation to? When I get that it's usually in response to current circumstances that have been on my mind lately so it signals favorable but not necessarily easy outcomes. I got this in response to something that's been on my heart for a couple of years now. It's been a rocky road for sure but I trust that the eventual outcome will be good.

i am encouraged by your response here. i received a word once, and part of it was 'you will be blessed'. And i also took it as a favorable confirmation that i was on the right path. i didn't receive it as if i was expecting a good gift, but instead felt in my heart that it was God acknowledging my struggle and looking favorably upon my decisions.

18 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

I mostly just think of it as a Christian saying myself. In practice it's used in a manner that's very similar if not identical to "thank you". But I'm okay with that because if a stranger says it to me or I say it to them it's both polite and lets others know that we at least present as Christians.

i've always took it as a small, quick, prayer sent up on my behalf to ask for blessings on what they thought was a good act. Still, no different in the realm of saying 'thank you'.

10 hours ago, Mr. M said:

A walk of faith implies that we trust in God's Will for us

and accept as a blessing either abundance or lack.

Ohhh yess! Good thought to point out. We can so easily loose sight of this when working through something hard in our life. We loose that thankfulness in our hearts, and forget that even hard times are a blessing from God. Our hardships are just another opportunity for us to grow closer to God, and mature in Christ, and this is such a HUGE blessing that He gives to us.

11 hours ago, Mr. M said:

Then there is the matter of the double blessing.

sorry i am unfamiliar with a 'double blessing' and what that is. Can you elaborate on this for me?

10 hours ago, Mr. M said:

A believer's blessings are anchored to the Promise to Abram.

Galatians 3: 

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would

justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham

beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

so i see here an example of a blessing from God that is treated like a promise...

10 hours ago, Mr. M said:

Matthew 10:

40 “He who receives you receives Me,

and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet

shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives

a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall

receive a righteous man’s reward. 

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup

of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly,

I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

 

...and i see in this verse being blessed with rewards and gifts, according to what you deserve.