“There was a king who
placed a heavy stone in the road and hid to see who would remove it. Men of
various classes came and worked their way around it, some loudly blaming the
king for not keeping the highways clear, but all dodging the duty of getting it
out of the way. At last a poor peasant, on his way to town with his burden of
vegetables for sale, came, and contemplating the stone, laid down his load, and
rolled it into the gutter. Then, turning around he spied a purse, which had
lain right under the stone. He opened it and found it full of gold pieces with
a note from the king, saying it was for the one who should remove the stone.”
How many of us can relate to this story? Unfortunately, it is a story that
illustrates how many people have missed many blessings and opportunities for a
blessing. Keep in mind that in all of our present situation and everyday
challenges, blessings from God may take many forms. God loves to bless His
people as the Psalmist testifies, “For
the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good
thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalms 84:11 ESV).
I hope that when we become fully warned, we will never miss
a blessing anymore but instead reap every blessing when given the chance. Jesus
taught the keys to a blessed life after He taught the Sermon on the Mount
called the “Beatitudes.” On the other hand, we are expected to adopt them as
the “Be-Attitudes,” blessings will occur. Here’s the attitude with their
corresponding blessings: “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those
who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall receive mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when others revile you
and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account”
(Matthew 5:3-11 ESV).
Just like the story illustrated above, receiving the blessing
was pre-conditioned after removing the stone. Therefore, it must be clearly
understood that blessings are always conditional. Jesus clearly showed it also.
While there are blessings that God has created for our benefits, (Genesis 1)
there are specific blessings that needs to be received as a response to
specific command and condition like the “Beatitude.” Just be sure not to reject
any negative situations right away for they may contain the blessing we need.
Remember that God’s principle in blessing people are totally different from how
the world bestows it.
Let me share another story to illustrate how we can never
miss a blessing: “One morning R.C.
Chapman, a devout Christian, was asked how he was feeling. "I'm burdened
this morning!" was his reply. But his happy countenance contradicted his
words. So the questioner exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really burdened,
Mr. Chapman?" "Yes, but it's a
wonderful burden--it's an overabundance of blessings for which I cannot find
enough time or words to express my gratitude!" Seeing the puzzled look
on the face of his friend, Chapman added with a smile, "I am referring to
Psalm 68:19, which fully describes my condition. In that verse the Father in
heaven reminds us that He 'daily loads us with benefits.'"
In order not to miss any blessing from God, always seal it
with a gratitude-filled heart. Filipinos have this playful way of securing a
birthday gift from their friends before their actual birthday, “Thank you for
the gift for my birthday!” While to some it maybe annoying but God will never
be annoyed by such gestures. Instead, He is more than willing to release many
blessings to those who believe Him as the Giver of all blessings. Try it and
you’ll see the effects.
Lets talk again!
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