Bless-es adj. to highly favour someone as if by divine grace; to rescue, especially from the power and consequence of sin

Monday

The definition is so interesting this week! Rarely does a definition include a spiritual dynamic. But here the result of blessing is to rescue from the power and consequence of sin! How cool is that? God talks about blessing right throughout scripture as a result of His love for you. Sometimes I try to wrap my mind around the fact that the God of the universe wants to highly favour me in an obvious and beneficial way. Does that blow you away as much as it does me? The fun question to ask is ‘Why?’ A question that very serious theologians would have a multitude of answers to, but I think it’s very simple. . . because He can. God can do whatever He wants. So think about this: God creates the universe and speaks the stars into place, then He shows His love for humankind by sending His Son to redeem us, then He decides that He wants to give us everything straight from his heart despite whether we deserve it or not! WOW! That is why blessing is such a wonderful gift. Undeserved. Free. Perfect.
How would you describe God’s blessings on you?
What is your response to God when He gives you blessings?
This may reflect how you were raised, your family dynamics or your relationship with your dad. Let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what needs to change in the area of receiving blessing. We can always go deeper and more intimate with God. Don’t settle this week for the same old thing. Move into a place of challenge in your heart with God and let Him show you the depth of His intentions towards you as a woman to receive blessing and give it to others.

Tuesday

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.
     “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
      for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
      God blesses those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
      God blesses those who are humble,
      for they will inherit the whole earth.
      God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
      for they will be satisfied.
      God blesses those who are merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
      God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
      for they will see God.
      God blesses those who work for peace,
      for they will be called the children of God.
      God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
      for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Matthew 5:1-12 (NLT)

I always like to look at Scriptures that show you what God thinks and does before I look at ones that show what we should think and do. It’s all about getting the priorities right. I believe that if you know who you are in Christ, then you can become what you should be in Christ. This passage is such a wonderful road map for you to use to understand how God blesses us - His people. Jesus taught this to His disciples for a reason! It wasn’t a time filler, it was integral to growing them as His hands and feet in the world. Let’s quickly look at this list of attitudes/actions that bring about blessings from God. 1. God blesses you if you realize your need for Him to be God in your life. Now the word poor here is not referring to the economic status of someone. The King James Version says to be “poor in spirit” and when I looked up poor it actually means to be a pauper. A pauper is someone who has no support or means by which to achieve anything positive in their life. Now to look at this verse with that perspective - to have spiritual pauperdom is to be incapable of achieving spiritual peace/salvation/freedom/joy etc. but. . .in realizing God can provide this you are an inheritor of heaven! 2. God blesses you with exactly what you need when you’re in grief. You can rest well in the arms of a God who knows you so well that your mourning moves Him to comfort. What a blessing that is in this broken world where mourning is a life experience! 3. Not a great surprise that God approves of humility! But also, He blesses those with it. And the blessing seems to be quite excellent! You are at your most vulnerable when you’re humble. It grates against my flesh (human nature) to place myself in a lowly position when pride is knock-knock-knocking at my door! But God blesses that victory over flesh with a great inheritance - the world. What in the world does that mean? It means that you will have the blessing of life here and now. Sure, your destination is heaven, but you live on earth for a time. God is blessing humility with good stuff here - be it health, wealth, respect, comfort, safety, family. Why to the humble? Because they can be trusted to glorify the Giver, not the gift! 4. This one is a blessing saved for later! God wants you to demonstrate mercy in this world and He will repay that when you stand face to face. Jesus is a wonderful model of mercy - showing mercy, supplying mercy, sustaining mercy. What opportunities have you had to do the same. God longs for us to be His hands and feet to those who need mercy. 5. Purity - absence of pollution, toxins, defilement or contaminates. This verse gives you the best blend of holiness and happiness. A pure heart sees God. WOW! So many scriptures refer to purity in God. You need to preserve and present yourself to God alone. Pure. Without competition from other things that would de-purify you. The response from God to this, is Him! Purity brings clarity. No longer do you need to search and strain to see God. He reveals Himself to the pure. Why? Because they have shown themselves worthy of more of Him. Pure hearts bring intimacy to see God, hear God, know God and reflect God. He longs to look upon you, but a pure heart is a must because His eyes can abide sin. Get your heart pure and open your eyes, God is waiting to show you something wonderful! 6. Peace. Do you strive for it, seek it out, promote it. Personality is not an excuse! Trust me, if I could only get away with that one! In fact, when I wrestle with myself regarding my nature and the unrest it brings within me, God simply gives me another opportunity to show His peaceful nature! If only I could learn quicker! Peace is brought about through weathering storms, not avoiding them! Peacemakers are buffeted from all sides, but remain advocates for God, through a pure heart. They are for peace! Although sometimes a thankless office, not overlooked by God. Blessing comes to you as a peace maker in the form of identity. God calls you His child, reflecting Him and His desire for unity and wholeness. Children of the world are fishing for trouble, children of God are fishing for souls. Peace brings a “netfull” of blessing! 7. Jesus made it very clear to His disciples on more than one occasion that they would suffer for His sake. God will not overlook you when trials come and you point yourself towards the Lord and honour Him in your words and actions. This world may not hold for you the blessing promised here, but eternity will. Those that suffer here in this depraved world, will be recompensed by God Himself in a future life with Him. What a day! To have God stand before you and pronounce that you are to be blessed in this Kingdom of Heaven for all the faithful work you endured on earth for the name of Christ. WOW!

Wednesday

After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” She replied, “Do me a special favour. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” Then Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. Judges 1:9-15 (NIV)

This story can so easily be overlooked, but God seemed to put it in pink neon lights as I read through the book of Judges one day. I love Caleb in this story. I love Othniel. And of course, I love Acsah! This story reminds me so much of my own story. As a little girl I grew up with a very clear picture of who I was going to marry. The picture wasn’t one of a particular ‘looking’ man, but a particular ‘hearted’ man. I wanted a man that reflected the wonderful characteristics of my dad. Now, my husband and my dad are very different, but there are similarities in their ‘hearts’ that draw me to love both of them! Caleb is a loving dad. He wants the best, the very best for his little girl. You may read it differently to me and see Caleb as a father placing his daughter on a shelf to be won as a trophy to any man that wishes to ‘win’ her. Well, maybe so, but I choose to see it differently! So let’s journey back in time to Caleb’s camp and see how this story ‘could’ have unfolded. . . Acsah is a beloved daughter of Caleb, an important man in Israel. He is committed to siege and defeat different regions in Canaan as the Israelites take over the promised land. His daughter has reached an age of marrying and Caleb coincides his battle plans with his wedding plans. A proposition is made known throughout the men of that land. Defeat the city and get the girl! Now, you may be thinking that this is a strange way to marry off your daughter, but I think it is a loving and wise move (considering this culture where women were really seen as object and not people). But I think Caleb really gets Acsah. He knows she is a bold, strong, smart, confident woman. He is giving her the opportunity to marry a man that is a capable and respected leader, a man who will take risks, be strong, brave and smart. All the qualities needed to lay siege on a city and defeat it! Othniel is also a relative of Acsah - their dads are brothers - and he jumps at the opportunity to win Acsah’s hand in marriage. Perhaps Othniel is given the ‘heads up’ regarding this ‘task’ in advance to give him every opportunity to secure Acsah as his wife? I imagine Othniel and Acsah have played together as children, grown up with the same family values, perhaps shared their secret hopes and dreams with each other. Othniel wastes no time fulfilling the requirements Caleb has laid down. I wonder if Acsah’s face was burned into his memory as he set out to a possible death, for love. I know! I’m a romantic at heart! But he is victorious and marries her! YAY! After they’re married Othniel and Acsah have a chat about their future and what Caleb could do to help. Acsah is able to convince him to ask for some land. Now let’s stop here. I love the fact that we see Acsah wanting to bring bounty into her marriage. She wants her husband to negotiate with a resource that she is sure will be favourable to them. Why? Because she has a good relationship with her father. He has obviously blessed her many times before and she is not shy to encourage her husband to be blessed through that new relationship too. But her influence to bless Othniel doesn’t end there. Acsah goes to visit her father and this scene is a Hollywood moment! Her father goes out to meet her. Sigh! That is so sweet, considering the stature of Caleb and the task of meeting someone getting down from a donkey! He loves her and wants to single her out as favoured in his eyes. And from this position of favour she is asked what he can do for her! Now, I assume she could have asked for just about anything, but she is wise, asking only for a complimentary gift to the one Caleb has already given. Go Acsah! And of course, Caleb does bless her, and Othniel, yet again. Acsah was a woman of means and wisdom. She brings blessing to her home, both as a child in relationship with her father, and then in her marriage to Othniel. It’s inspiring to see what one woman can do to bless so many others around her.

Thursday

I guess this story of Acsah is so beautiful to me because of the relationship between father and daughter. I have a wonderful relationship with my dad and it has given me a beautiful springboard for an open, loving, valuable relationship with God as my heavenly Father. I love the way God has weaved all this week’s devo parts together. As I reflect on this story I’m reminded of the blessings God, our Father, has in store for us. The key to all of this is relationship. If you have an open, authentic relationship with God as your Father, your Saviour and your Guide, then you are a prime candidate to receive blessing form Him. It is quite transforming to know that you are so in line with God that His hand just keeps moving across your life in such a way as you can’t deny the supernatural favour! Have you ever experienced that? Perhaps it came in small glimpses, or maybe you can give detailed accounts! Either way, God is longing to bless you simply because He does! I love looking at my relationship with Him that way. It’s very honest - God loves me! He loves you! And that, in itself is enough of a reason for Him. No earning it, striving for it or bargaining through it! What other relationship are you in that is free? I have many, many wonderful relationship but in each one there are aspects of it that are not free. God doesn’t have a hidden agenda He’s waiting to surprise you with. His blessings are agenda free! Although Tuesday’s devo did give us guidelines for receiving blessing. But I want to do and be those things mentioned there! I don’t think of it as “If I do this He’ll do that”, but it’s about me looking more and more beautiful in Christ. That is my motive, and God blesses me on top of it all! So, when you have that part under control - the receiving blessing part - there is another aspect to it. You have so much blessing from God that your desire is to give it away. It isn’t the kind of thing that can be stored up anyway! God’s blessing are transferable and should be in order to keep the flow coming. You remember the story of the Israelites in the desert? They were given enough manna to eat, but only take as much as they needed. Those that stored it up lost it. It became uneatable the next day. Faith is what God wanted there - trusting Him to provide the next supply. You need to have the same trust in God for your blessings. If He blesses you then use that to bless someone else. You will surprise yourself as to God’s mathematical system! He multiplies using His own rules! So be a blessing receiver and giver. Let God do something extraordinary through you this week!

Friday

What is your motive for receiving blessing from God? I know that might seem like a strange question, but it’s one that has challenged me. I am a recipient of God’s favour and blessing because of who I am to Him. So I guess the better question is: Who are you to God? Figuring that out is determined by your willingness to be in relationship with Him, and only Him. Don’t be convinced that your relationship with Him would be so much richer if there were a third party. Not that fellowship can’t spur you on in that relationship, but it can’t take the place of it. I have learned that one the hard way. My lovely mum was such an inspiration to me in my faith. I confided in her, trusted her, listened to her and mostly took her advice. When she died I felt a huge void in my relationship with her, and with God. She had been my third party, and when she wasn’t there anymore I lost connection with God. It took a lot of time to grow a new one on one relationship with God after that, but, I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Spend some time journaling what blessings you have seen God favour you with. Why do you think God did that?
What can you do to re-bless others? It may be a close relationship, or it could be someone God is prompting you to befriend. Blessings can go along way in opening doors to the hearts of others. How about you go knocking and see what doors God opens for you to be a woman that blesses!