Scripture
Genesis 12:1-2
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 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.
Observation
God promised incredible blessings to Abram, not just to him personally but also to his lineage after him. But God didn’t leave any ambiguity for the purpose of these blessings: He said the purpose of the promised blessing, was so that Abram would ‘be a blessing’. Blessings were not just his to possess: ‘Blessing’ was to be his identity, and his role in the world.
Yet just a few short verses later, we see two instances where Abram’s blessings became a curse instead: Sarai (Abram’s wife) became a curse to the household of Pharaoh, and Abram’s herds began to be a curse to his nephew Lot.
It wasn’t enough for Abram to be blessed by God–he had to walk with the right heart, in order to be a blessing to others. In the case of Sarai, Abram had to learn to trust that the God who had given him Sarai would protect him from Pharaoh’s selfish demands. With Lot, Abram had to choose to depend on God to sustain his herds even while allowing Lot to take over what seemed to be the more fertile grazing land around the town of Sodom.
In both of these situations, Abram’s integrity, courage, and trust in God (or lack thereof…) was the deciding factor in whether Abram would actually be a blessing to those around him or not.
Application
God pours out His blessings on His people. In my life, in the organizations I help to lead–His blessings are so clearly seen, and so abundant! But merely ‘having’ His blessing is not enough: If I want to ‘be’ a blessing, I must use and manage those blessings in a way which allows me to be a blessing instead of a curse. The integrity of my walk, the character with which I navigate life, and the grace I show to others–all of these things determine whether I will be a blessing or not.
God’s purpose is larger than just my life. His desire is to bless the world around me, through me. Today I choose to be a blessing, by walking rightly after the Giver of all true blessings!
Prayer
God, I want to be a blessing! Help me to interact rightly with the many blessings you’ve given me: Not to view them through selfishness, or fear, or scarcity, or carelessness–but to manage them faithfully for you, so that your goodness could impact the world around me.
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