Blessed in the City
Deuteronomy 28:3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
I’ve always been a Fred Hammond fan. One of my favorite songs by him is “No Weapon.” However, “Blessed” is a close second. We all need a little inspiration. We all need a little hope. We all need a little encouragement, So despite your current circumstances, I want to remind you that you are blessed. You are blessed in the city. You are blessed in the field. You are blessed when you come and when you go. You are blessed when you don’t feel like it. You are blessed when it doesn’t look like it. Be encouraged!
Favored
There are a couple of names that come to mind when I think about being favored. Abram. Mary. Elizabeth. Joseph. We tend to think that somehow favor means that we won’t endure hardships. Not so. In fact, Mary saw her son crucified, and Joseph was sold into slavery. I am starting to think that favor has more to do with God’s ability to trust you with hardships. When you are favored, God knows you will lean into him during hardships instead of choosing to run away. God knows that the result of testing your faith, will make you a better witness and ultimately a better disciple. Have your found yourself in a season of testing? Have you felt like it was too much for you to bear? Ask yourself are you favored?
Unmerited
We can never give enough, do enough good, help enough people to deserve God’s grace and favor. Every day we wake up is blessing. We can not do anything in our own strength. We have no control over our heart pumping blood through our body. We can’t control the air in our lungs. We exist because God allows it. Every day we experience God’s unmerited and undeserved favor, let’s not take it for granted.
Be Still and Know....
The knowing isn’t the hard part. It’s the “be still” part that gets me every time. I’ve got things to do on my “to-do” list. There is a mound of laundry. The kitchen needs a once over. The bathroom needs to be cleaned. The kids need something. My mother needs something. I’m being pulled in multiple directions. How can I possibly “ be still.” In order to “be still,” you have to make a deliberate effort to give God time. You have to give God time to be acknowledged, to be praised, and to speak. When we are still, we can hear God. We can acknowledge the small still voice that says, “rest in me.” We can cry out because we can’t do everything in our own strength. When we are still, we can have peace with things being undone. We can know that God will never put more on us than we can bear. Most of know that we can cast our cares on God, but we aren’t still enough to hear the encouragement. We miss the peace of God when we aren’t still. Mute the distractions around you and focus. Be still and know….I am God.
Blessed
Today is my mother's 70th birthday. Despite everything my mother has endured, she is here. Life is a gift that is meant to be celebrated daily. It's easy to get distracted by headlines and hashtags. It's easy to take life for granted. It's easy to forget the daily blessings God continues to provide. If you woke up this morning, you're blessed. If you have clothes on your back and food to eat, you're blessed. If you have a roof over your head, you're blessed. If you have a job and money in your pocket, you're blessed. If you have a degree of health, you're blessed. Be blessed and know that today is a blessing.
Quicken
quick·en (ˈkwikən) verb
make or become faster or quicker.
spring to life; become animated.
Sometimes, our lives need to shaken up. Sometimes, we need to be a little uncomfortable. Sometimes, we need to be quickened. We need to be resurrected from our pain and our suffering. We need to be resurrected from our doubt and unbelief. We need new life. We need new perspective. We need newness. The book of Psalms encourages us to ask God to quicken our souls towards God's righteousness and lovingkindness.
Best
Good. Better. Best. I can admit that I have settled for good. I've been content with better, and yearned for more. Best is God's more. Most of us are happy with our good lives. We have good jobs, good cars, and good kids. Most of us are grateful for better jobs, better homes, and better opportunities. But, there's more. What if we were our best selves? What if we maximized every opportunity? What if we didn't settle? What would we look like living our best lives? Now, is the time to be great. Now, is the time to do our best and be our best.