Blessed to Bless Others

Quote: “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” – Winnie the Pooh

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17 CSB – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother (or sister) is born for a difficult time.”

Some Thoughts:  I was praying and realized that I had gone from thanking and praising God for Who He is to thanking Him for a specific friend who is a true blessing. I was thanking God for my friend and praising and talking about this friend to God.

When I stopped and thought about how I had “switched gears”, I just was reminded that as a parent, I love to hear praises about my children.  Why wouldn’t God, our Heavenly Father, rejoice and delight over praise of His children?

Paul was aware of this – as he wrote many letters with the word (or similar words), “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you.”

Last Sunday, I encouraged us to thank the many people who serve behind the scenes. (Some examples:  those who serve in the “tech booth”, nursery, Children’s Church, worship team, small group leaders, our office coordinator (Rae), our custodian (Kitty), those who visit people, those who take people to appointments, those who donate items for the Food Pantry, those who take care of the church building and grounds and do needed repairs, those who make meals for someone in need, and on and on and on! It’s good to thank them personally, but how about thanking God and telling Him all the wonderful things about the people God has brought into our lives!  Pray His blessings upon them.  You can pray these Scriptures for them when you’re with them in person, or by inserting their name when you’re not with them.  Here are just ten, to begin with:

1)  “May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He smile on you and be gracious to you; may He look your way and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26.)

2)  “May God give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” (Psalm 20:4, NIV)

3)  “May God be gracious to you and bless you and make His face shine upon you.” (Psalm 67:1, NIV)

4)  “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it, and may you be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:16, NLT)

5)  “May Christ make His home in your heart through faith.” (Ephesians 3:17b, GNT)

6)  “May your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”(Philippians 1:9-11, NIV)

7)  “May you be strengthened with all power, according to God’s glorious might.” (Colossians 1:11a, NLT)

8)  “May you be filled with joy.” (Colossians 1:11b, NLT)

9)  “May the Master pour on the love so it fills your life and splashes over on everyone around you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12, The Message)

10)  “May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV)

You’ll find that you are “blessed” when you start praising God’s kids to Him and thanking Him for putting those persons in your life.

Prayer:  Thank You, Lord, for the friends You bring to us.  You are a God of community.  You created us to live in community, but You also from the very beginning wanted relationship with us.  Thank You for those friendships that, even though separated by miles, “love like a brother.”  Lord, help me to be a good friend to those friends You have gifted me with and not to take any of them for granted.  Lord, help me to be a friend to soomeone new today.  Lead me to someone who needs a friend and may be feeling alone today.  Thank YOU, Lord, for being a friend who never fails and loves with an everlasting love.  I commit this day to You and know that You walk beside me – in friendship.

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