Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Cool! Okay, Jesus. I think I understand. Forgive people as you forgive us. (Even enemies!) Serve others in personal ways that glorify God. We disciples are not greater than our teacher.
Then Jesus adds, “you will be blessed if you do them.”
Sometimes things become so common that we lose sight of them. Have you ever noticed that? We have a grandfather clock in our house that BONGS on the hour and chimes on the quarter hour. If you have never heard it before it is quite noticeable. After hearing it for months it starts to fade into the background. Lately, after years of having the clock in the house, it has become invisible to me. Even trying to listen for it to chime is hard. I almost never hear it.
Then recently we had the clock mechanism serviced. It was taken out of the cabinet and moved to the clock shop where it waited its turn to be cleaned and serviced. Good clockmakers are hard to find so it had to wait several weeks before he even started working on it.
Do you know what happened?
Even though I couldn’t hear it before, I missed it when it was gone. Weird, eh?
“Blessed” is one of those words that has faded into the background for me. I read it in the Bible. I hear people say “bless you!” I’ve known the word all my life. But what does it mean when Jesus says, “…you will be blessed if you do them?”
The King James version translates the Greek as, “… happy are ye if ye do them.”
Depending on where you look, “blessed” can mean, “made holy” or “bringing special favor from God.” Often definitions include the happiness that comes from God’s favor. Strong’s Concordance includes “happy” as a common translation for the same word.
Personally, I think that if I did something that made Jesus smile, that would make me happy. I think then I would feel blessed.
Let’s Discuss: What do you think of when you hear the word, “blessed?”
Thank you for reminding us to listen carefully to the amazing gifts around us. To reflect upon a life without those gifts. To know well the blessings we have and realize the blessing we can be to others.
Hi Gary,
Thank you for sharing! God’s light is a blessing to the giver and receiver alike. 🙂
Hi Jeff
I think of the affirmation and joy of my Dad when he is proud of something I’ve done well.
Nathan,
Nice comparison! I’m glad that you have a dad who takes pride in his son.
I agree that blessings can come though our efforts. When I think of my blessings in relationship with Jesus though, I most often think of the times he has brought blessing, (happiness, contentment and peace) to my heart when I have been able to bring nothing to him. We are blessed when we do as He says. His greatest commandment is to Love him with all of our heart. Love him, and blessings will overflow.
B.L.
Thanks for checking in! When you write, “We are blessed when we do as He says,” you capture the essence of my meditation for today. As you point out the blessing of God takes many forms.