Category: Blessed – Not Lucky or Unlucky

Matthew 5:1-10 (NRSVUE)
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“We already belong to the ‘kingdom of heaven’…yet will receive it in fullness at the eschaton. We are already being comforted, filled to the full, and shown mercy, yet that will be finalized when Christ returns. We see God now, but will see him face to face in eternity. We have these blessings now to the extent that we are living completely for him, but we will experience them fully only in the final kingdom (Grant Osborne. Matthew, vol.1 of Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.)

Prayer: Jesus, we proclaim “yes and amen” to your word. Yes, we are the blessed ones now, and we praise you for the fullness to come. Yes and amen to living for the Kingdom today and now. All for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship and sing to “No One Like Our God” by Matt Redman (click here).

-AS

Psalm 23:4-6  (NIV)
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever

“Our cultural influence is to avoid the valleys and secure our blessing. But it seems that the psalmist invites us to step out and into a life not based on our own terms and self-reliance or preservation, but with God so that we can see and experience what his blessing is and can do. We can live to ‘bless ourselves,’ or we can live in the blessing of God and follow him. Is it going to be dangerous at times? Yes. But with God it will be good (blessed by him).” (Adapted from P. Tim’s message write-up.)

Prayer: Lord, even when we walk through the darkest valley, you promise the blessing of fearing no evil and the blessing of your rod and staff comforting us. You promise the blessing of anointing, the blessing of overflowing lives, the blessing of your goodness and love following us for all our days. We trust you and thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s sing and pray to “Psalm 23” by Shane and Shane (click here).

-AS

Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)
A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.

“Here the ‘I’ statements are filled with gratitude, yielding, trust, and thanksgiving. The ‘I’ here knows that in every case, life is fully cared for and resolved by this thou [God] who responds to and anticipates every need. Life with Yahweh is a life of well-being and satisfaction…It is God’s companionship that transforms every situation.” [Walter Brueggemann. The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary.]

Only those who can call God, “my shepherd” can say, “I lack nothing.” Only the “sheep” of the Shepherd have this blessing. Our ultimate blessing is that we have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Those who belong to God are blessed by definition. Because of this blessing, we lack nothing. It is God’s personal care and detailed involvement in our lives that leads us to green pastures, quiet waters, and to the right paths.

Prayer: Lord, you are my shepherd. I am blessed because of you. I lack nothing because of you. Thank you for providing me with green pastures and quiet waters that refresh and strengthen my weary and heavy-burdened soul. You guide me to the right paths according to your good will and plan. May you receive the glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship and sing to “Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me” by CityAlight (click here).

-AS

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

“From an earthly perspective, things may seem to happen at random, but throughout the whole of Scripture, it is clear that God is in control of all of His creation and is somehow able to take the random acts of natural law, the free will of both good and evil men, and the wicked intent of demons and combine them all to accomplish His good and perfect will.” (From https://www.gotquestions.org/luck.html.)

The biblical worldview is that God is sovereign over everything. A non-biblical worldview entertains the ideas of luck, fate, and chance. If that is true, then there are other forces in control of life apart from God. We start to ask, “Can God really provide and bless?” We doubt and distrust him. Seeking God and his will becomes questionable. May we turn away and reject this kind of thinking in every area of our lives, big or small. God is good all the time. His love works out everything for our good. May we trust him in our present struggle and declare nothing is outside of his sovereignty.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we repent of thinking that you are not fully in control. We surrender every area of our lives and trust in your good sovereign will. We declare that you are good and you work all things for our good. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship and sing to “God, You’re So Good” by Passion, Kristian Stanfill, ft. Melodie Malone (click here).

-AS

Let us proclaim and read aloud:

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)
12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Everything starts with God and his word. By the grace of God, we are to understand, know and experience the spiritual realities of God and all that we have been gifted in Christ. May we be filled with the Holy Spirit and our minds be renewed, so that we can believe and recognize spiritual realities. May our confidence be based on the gifts we’ve received in Christ. Our lives will overflow with blessings by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. May we breathe and live as God’s blessed people.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, in Christ, we are blessed. By the Spirit, may our eyes be opened to the truth you revealed in your word. May there be fresh filling of the Spirit in our churches, so we newly and deeply understand what you’ve freely given us. Empower us to live out the truth of all the spiritual blessings we’ve received in Christ today. For your praise and glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship and sing to “Weight of Heaven” by Planetshakers (click here).

-AS