A Blessed New Year

Started the year by attending church service at VCF Fort.  The preaching focused on what it means to be BLESSED.

What?

The first occurrence of the word blessed in the Bible is in Genesis 1:28.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”


fruitful - flourish, thrive, in excess
subdue - conquer, overcome
rule over - be responsible, govern

Being blessed is not a matter of getting that big promotion, or financial breakthrough or having no problems.  It is a state of constant joy/happiness despite the circumstances, being able to overcome, thrive and be fruitful.

How?

Blessed is the man 
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked 
or stand in the way of sinners 
or sit in the seat of mockers. 
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, 
and on his law he meditates day and night. 
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
   which yields its fruit in season 
and whose leaf does not wither. 
   Whatever he does prospers.
 Not so the wicked! 
   They are like chaff 
   that the wind blows away. 
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 
   nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, 
   but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Psalm 1)

Being likened to a tree means that being blessed is not a one time, big time deal.  It means starting off as a seed, growing and then bearing fruit.  A tree experiences storms or droughts but can still be fruitful.

Who? 

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. (Ephesians 1:3)

The reason why we may feel or think that we are not blessed is because we are looking at the wrong things or waiting for the wrong things.  Let us count our blessings!


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