What It Means To Be Blessed

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 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 that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalms 1 vs 1 - 6)

There is much to extract from these beautiful verses, but for today I just want to focus on a few principles concerning "Blessedness"

How does one become blessed? It's a question that many ask quite so often. Sometimes it can even become controversial. It's amazing to see how many different interpretations there are when it comes to understanding the blessings of God.

But I want to focus on one simple area today. Obedience, I believe is a necessity for being blessed in God's kingdom. The Psalm reminds us, "Blessed is the man...But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditated day and night." I believe blessing comes through obedience by delighting ourselves in God's holy word. When we dig deep not just for head knowledge but for understanding the purposes of God and how I play a part in in it and to develop my personal relationship with Him, then it makes sense to be blessed.

And in obedience to His word we honour him. For you see, we can have obedience without honour but we can't have honour without obedience. We are blessed when we delight in God's word. Obedience comes through delight. When we find delight in the scriptures, we are bound to become obedient to it. We can never be obedient to something or someone in whom we can never delight in. 

Psalm 1 also speaks about 'being like a tree planted by streams of water.' And that's what's it like for a person who is obedient. We never run dry, we're always being replenished. The word does that for us. It also speaks of ' yielding fruit in it's season.' A tree can bear good fruit but can never enjoy it. The same is true for us, when we're blessed it's never for our own consumption. It's always for others. If you hold a seed in your hand it can never grow unless it is planted. The same applies for us, when we have seed we must sow or else we can never reap a harvest. 

Blessing, on the other hand is a by-product of obedience to God's word in whom we find our delight and bring honour to him. So, if we're hungry to bring honour to God and want to obey Him, then we must find our delight in his word. 

The Bible reminds us in Hebrews 4 vs 12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (ESV)

And based on John 1, the word is Jesus Christ himself. We receive more of the Lord when we delve into the scriptures to seek understanding and gain revelation of a holy and intimate God. So, dear friends in Christ never neglect the study of God's word. In doing so, we gain a closer look at the Son of God and become blessed. Once again I must stress that we don't do it for the blessing. Our delight is in Him- the living word. The blessing is only secondary. The greatest blessing there is, is in knowing him and to know him is eternal life. 

The understanding of being blessed for most, is very much superficial in that it is only materialistic. God wants to bless in a different way although we are blessed materialistically, it only plays a small role in comparison to how the scriptures define it. Blessing comes to those who understand God's word. If we're being 'blessed' and God isn't in it, then it's more of a curse than a blessing. And we can get so caught up in it including everyone around us aswell. It is of high importance that we understand that to be blessed, we must become a Blessing, for you cannot enjoy your own fruit, only others can.

Find your delight once again in God's word - in Christ himself. If you're struggling, ask for strength. And when studying always have a notebook handy. It will help to rediscover a love for God's word that maybe you haven't experienced in awhile. Charles Spurgeon once said, "There are many great books to be read in the world, but always remain in the Bible." 

To be blessed is to find your delight in the living word - Jesus. Find your delight again.

Stay safe. Stay Blessed.

Shane.

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