Week 44 - #Prepare “Bless”

"Bless and Be Blessed"

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." - Romans 12:14

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." - Matthew 5:9

"Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." - Psalm 119:2

One of my favorite prayers in the Bible is found smack dab in the middle of I Chronicles known as the prayer of Jabez. In 1 Chronicles 4:9,10 it is written, “Oh Lord bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, have Thy hand in all I do, and to keep me from causing pain.”

I find it so powerful this short prayer just appears in the midst of an Old Testament book filled with history and genealogy.

It’s a brief oasis for lost readers like me struggling to wade through what seems to be one biblical list after another.

In this myriad of remembrances, and historical accounts starting with Adam, God reminds us all of His presence and the real blessings He alone provides, if we just prepare to acknowledge Him along the way.

This prayer of Jabez for me reveals a God who never rests, is always present, always ready to bless us whether in our seeking or in our sleeping.

I wish that I could say the same.

I once heard a speaker ask the question,

“Are you a blesser or a stressor in the lives of the people that you come in contact with?”

When I reflect upon this question, I find myself more on the receiving end of God's countless blessings, rather than being a blessing to others.

And with those I may cause stress, I rarely consider opportunities for reconciliation.

Yet God wants to bless us indeed, while having His hand in our lives, ensuring we don’t cause pain!

So DADs our preparation and partnership with God is twofold:

To prepare to receive all God has for us, and to include Him along the way in every aspect of our lives!

Our preparation for blessings is to first be one. To be the peacemaker. To seek Him first. To bless and not curse those who persecute us.

DADs…who are we blessing and not stressing today?

To fully receive, let’s first be the blessing others need us to be, representing God's love in all we say and do.

To God be the glory!

DADs “get in the game”…Today is game day…and so is every day…God gives you! So…C’mon Men Suit Up!

**Today we prepare for “Blessings." Next week we will consider how critical it is to prepare to “Anticipate."

Note: *For this new year of 2021, the combination of my age (understanding my own fragile mortality), this current and ongoing global pandemic, and most recently the personal loss I’ve experienced of one of my students, has amplified the need to land on one word...#Prepare.

In this "pursuit to prepare" I am determined to dedicate the 52 weeks of 2021 blogging every Week about one aspect of preparation God lays on my heart.

As mentioned in week 1, the word “prepare” means “to establish, fix, or apply.” It conveys the idea of deliberate effort over a prolonged period of time.