physical blessings in the bible physical blessings in the bible

A beautiful way to begin any new year is with a dox 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 ESV / 21 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. If we are a child of God, we know His eternal plan allows only those things into our lives which result in our ultimate and eternal good: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:32-40). I love it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. And the failure to recognize this distinction between Gods plan for Israel in the Old Testament and Gods plan for the church in the New Testament has caused a lot of people to put way too much emphasis on earthly blessings today. Or heres the way James puts it: Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. You do not have to fear the future when God's hand is over your life. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. God blesses the Christian by bearing our curse in the person of Jesus Christ. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. It can range from getting a new girlfriend, a new job, or a pay raise, to finding a ten-dollar bill on the sidewalk or getting surprisingly good news. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. When Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God and sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the human race. Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the case of these innocent sufferers, their suffering was not attributed to their sin but was the outgrowth of their righteousness. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. It does not tell us that he was seventy-five when he first received the promise of a son. All of those referred to were people who obtained Gods approval through their faith in Gods promise. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household. Ezekiel 44:30 (NIV), Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on Gods interests, but mans. Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. In Genesis 22:16-18, God again blesses Abram, and adds that blessing is due to his obedience to God's commands. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. All day long my dishonor is before me, And my humiliation has overwhelmed me, Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. And Im going to circle back and probably end there and affirm what he sees and show why it is such a great answer to his own question. Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. Few understand the blessings of God as they should. The Book of Hebrews brings the Old Testament faith into focus and clearly describes the nature of the blessings God promised and for which believers waited in faith. (2) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in primarily physical and material terms and not in spiritual terms. Exodus 1:5-22 (7) The majority of the Jews in Jesus day concluded that Jesus could not be the promised Messiah because He failed to meet their expectations and desires. Proverbs 15:6 says, "In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenues of the wicked there is trouble.". But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works (Psalm 73:1-28). But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! (6) The Jews concluded those who prospered were pious (spiritual, righteous), while those who suffered were sinners. These blessings fit the definition laid down in Proverbs 10:22: It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. There will always be some among you who are poor. Deuteronomy 28:1-2. But Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And Thou hast put to shame those who hate us. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE, we also believe, therefore also we speak; knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. The blessings of God are not inconsistent with suffering. The blood of Christ has taken away the guilt of our sins, and we stand before the Father as perfectly accepted. One only needs enough faith to be confident God hears and answers our prayers as we desire. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your Gods, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. Deuteronomy 15:10 (Msg), Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. At other times, Israels suffering was not due to her unbelief and rebellion. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:13-16). What exactly do you believe those are?. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. They will likely be a part of an Arab confederation known as "the king of the South" (Daniel 11:40-41 . On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. So death works in us, but life in you. In Gods wisdom, the church of Jesus Christ is not an ethnic or geographic or political or national entity. This child was not merely an adopted heir, but Abrahams own son (Genesis 15:1-6). The temporal blessings of Judaism were tempting in the light of the affliction they faced as Christians. Biblical blessings are often associated with protection and happiness. And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. "In everything [ not just some things and not just spiritual things] give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thes. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. The blessings here are plainly associated with happiness and welfare, both for Abram and others. O Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Galatians 3 In the early days of Davids life, he was misunderstood and chided by his brothers (1 Samuel 17:20-30). For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:7-18). Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Dont have a stingy heart. He also promised to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:5; 17:5-6). They suffered for Gods sake and not for their own sins (Psalm 44:22). Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. I The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. They think of Gods blessings primarily in terms of that which is physical and material.102 They believe that because Christ has come, every promised blessing can be ours, now, if we but believe and ask for them in faith. His blessing is the reversal of the curse (see Genesis 12:1-3; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. Thou dost cause us to turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. Temporal blessings are not to be measured so much in terms of material prosperity, physical health, or the absence of pain, as in the enjoyment of Gods presence. OpenBible.info Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. June 10, 2013. More likely, he meant that they received some of the promises but not the promises which could only be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ, promises which are still future for us. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT (Romans 4:3-8). (1) The Jews thought of Gods blessings primarily in terms of the here and now, while Gods Word speaks of the fulfillment of His promised blessings in terms of the future. Eve was cursed with pain in child-bearing and with the dominion of her husband over her. As I conclude this lesson, let me share a quotation by Harold Stigers in his commentary of the Book of Genesis: God designs certain tests and trials in regard to earthly things so that we may see that our inheritance resides in God Himself--in our finding them nothing without Him, and Him everything even without them.104. Related Topics: Dispensational / Covenantal Theology, Theology Proper (God), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. If we get hungry for God and follow his commands if we seek spiritual growth, physical blessing will follow. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Unsplash Read more Site Map About Us Help When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Download a Personal Copy of these Bible Verses about Blessings! For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future all are yours, and you are Christs, and Christ is Gods. All their years will be pleasant. Job 36:11 (NLT), Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Job 5:17 (NIV), Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. Psalm 1:1 (GW), Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:4 (NIV), Blessed are those who dwell in your house to worship; they are ever praising you. Psalm 84:4 (NIV), Give freely to the poor person, and do not wish that you didnt have to give. He restores my soul. (18) Christians will suffer--and not just for sin. It is not that one group is more spiritual than the other. The Bible teaches that all spiritual blessings are available only "in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Men are not only condemned because they are destined to destruction, but because they deserve it and have decided for it (see Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 28; John 3:18; Revelation 16:5-6). By tracing the fulfillment of this promise through the Scriptures we will better understand Gods blessings. The writer to the Hebrews differs with such thinking. E Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. - Numbers 6:24-26. The promised blessings of the Bible are the good which God has purposed and promised. Arouse Thyself, why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Abrahams life had its own trials. Only with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ does permanent blessing come into clear focus. The Bible that you hold in your hand is aphysical book with a spiritual message. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:2-5). Strengthen and help me, Lord. How will Abraham be blessed, and how will he become a blessing to others? Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. U And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies. If a nation turned from God, its promised blessings would be taken away: At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Just a few - of many - New Testament texts make this clear: Mark 1:4-5 And so John the Baptist appeared . He suffered because of his deception concerning Sarah. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. The son was just the beginning. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it (Jeremiah 18:7-10). The Jews of old and many Christians and others today think of Gods blessings in terms of the immediate enjoyment of physical and material pleasures and the absence of pain. The simple fact is that our prayers betray us. Use these Bible verses to remind you of the many blessing you can claim as a child of God! And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Compiled by The BibleStudyTools Staff Good will comes to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3). 6:8). Verse Concepts. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. God not only graciously blesses men, He also graciously delays the curse so that men might be saved (see Romans 9:22-24). Deuteronomy 28:1-68 ESV / 265 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long, And chastened every morning. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Redemption speaks of buying one's freedom, paying a ransom. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Q (Marriage and children are both a blessing, but neither is without its trials and suffering.) Theres nothing like that in the New Testament. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.. Oh, God, help us to live with faith. In what ways does God bless only Christians?