LIVING IN SONSHIP
A 52 Week Devotional Series By Barry Adams
DEVOTIONAL #4
A SON IS A BLESSING
God’s heart has always been to bless His kids. If we have eyes to see it, we will discover that our Papa’s blessing that began in the Garden (Genesis 1:28-30) continues throughout the Bible.
Even when Noah and his family were able to give humanity a fresh start in Genesis 9:1, God pronounced the same blessing over them that He blessed Adam and Eve with… To be fruitful, to multiply and to have dominion over the earth.
So when we read the blessing that God spoke over Abraham in Genesis 12, it should not surprise us that He used the same Hebrew root word for blessing (bawrak) that He declared over mankind’s first couple at the dawn of our creation. In Romans 4:16, Paul writes that Abraham is the father of every one who is born of faith. So since we are Abraham’s seed, it only stands to reason that the blessing that God pronounced over him in Genesis 12, would apply to us as well…
Genesis 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (NIV)
In Galatians 3:13-14, Paul writes that Jesus Christ became a curse for us by hanging on the cross so that the blessing of Abraham could come to the Gentiles. So if you ever doubted your Father’s heart to bless you, doubt it no longer. Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29) has secured every blessing that exists in heavenly places on your behalf (Ephesians 1:3).
While all of this is good, it is important to be aware that we are not only called to live under the Father's blessing ourselves, but we are called to be a blessing to others as well. I truly believe that the more we walk in the goodness and kindness of our loving Father, the less we will be preoccupied or even fixated with trying to seek a blessing for the blessing's sake.
Our Heavenly Dad is the absolute best Dad in the universe! He is gracious and gentle and generous beyond our wildest dreams! He is truly that giver of all good gifts (James 1:17). However, if we seek to establish a relationship with Him that is solely based on what He can give us, then I believe we are missing the whole point of friendship with God.
Sons know that they are blessed already, so their focus can be on simply becoming a blessing to others. Sons know that their inheritance is secure, so they don’t have to spend their lives trying to acquire the inheritance that is set aside for another family member. Sons live under an open heaven (Matthew 3:16-17 ) and as a result, they manifest the blessings of their Father wherever they go. I think that is why we were never intended to follow signs because signs are intended to follow us! (Mark 16:17)
If we are not yet convinced that we truly are blessed already with every heavenly blessing, then we will fix our eyes and all our energies on how we can be blessed. I believe that the more that we know that our Father is loving us, caring for us, and blessing us now, the less we will live a self-centered life.
When God blessed Abraham in Genesis 12, He said that Abraham would be a blessing to many people and that all peoples on the earth would be blessed through his life. The fruit of every blessing that we receive from heaven is that someone else will be blessed as well. I believe this is simply the principle of living our lives from an overflowing cup (Psalm 23:5).
If you want to be a blessing, I would encourage you to ask Holy Spirit to bring you a fresh revelation of the blessings that already flow from heaven to you. The truth is that we are not orphans looking to find a place of acceptance in God's house through our works, but we are beloved sons and daughters right now and are partakers of Abraham's blessing.
My prayer today is that each one of us would know more and more in increasing measure who we are in Christ right now. We are joint-heirs with Jesus and beneficiaries of every spiritual blessing in heavenly places because of our union with our Elder Brother. May the tangible reality of living life with a cup that overflows become the normal way of living for all of us. May we all learn to drink deeply from the riches of heaven today so that we can indeed be a blessing to a world that is crying out to be blessed by God Himself.
Ephesians 1;3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love; (WEB)
So when we read the blessing that God spoke over Abraham in Genesis 12, it should not surprise us that He used the same Hebrew root word for blessing (bawrak) that He declared over mankind’s first couple at the dawn of our creation. In Romans 4:16, Paul writes that Abraham is the father of every one who is born of faith. So since we are Abraham’s seed, it only stands to reason that the blessing that God pronounced over him in Genesis 12, would apply to us as well…
Genesis 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (NIV)
In Galatians 3:13-14, Paul writes that Jesus Christ became a curse for us by hanging on the cross so that the blessing of Abraham could come to the Gentiles. So if you ever doubted your Father’s heart to bless you, doubt it no longer. Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29) has secured every blessing that exists in heavenly places on your behalf (Ephesians 1:3).
While all of this is good, it is important to be aware that we are not only called to live under the Father's blessing ourselves, but we are called to be a blessing to others as well. I truly believe that the more we walk in the goodness and kindness of our loving Father, the less we will be preoccupied or even fixated with trying to seek a blessing for the blessing's sake.
Our Heavenly Dad is the absolute best Dad in the universe! He is gracious and gentle and generous beyond our wildest dreams! He is truly that giver of all good gifts (James 1:17). However, if we seek to establish a relationship with Him that is solely based on what He can give us, then I believe we are missing the whole point of friendship with God.
Sons know that they are blessed already, so their focus can be on simply becoming a blessing to others. Sons know that their inheritance is secure, so they don’t have to spend their lives trying to acquire the inheritance that is set aside for another family member. Sons live under an open heaven (Matthew 3:16-17 ) and as a result, they manifest the blessings of their Father wherever they go. I think that is why we were never intended to follow signs because signs are intended to follow us! (Mark 16:17)
If we are not yet convinced that we truly are blessed already with every heavenly blessing, then we will fix our eyes and all our energies on how we can be blessed. I believe that the more that we know that our Father is loving us, caring for us, and blessing us now, the less we will live a self-centered life.
When God blessed Abraham in Genesis 12, He said that Abraham would be a blessing to many people and that all peoples on the earth would be blessed through his life. The fruit of every blessing that we receive from heaven is that someone else will be blessed as well. I believe this is simply the principle of living our lives from an overflowing cup (Psalm 23:5).
If you want to be a blessing, I would encourage you to ask Holy Spirit to bring you a fresh revelation of the blessings that already flow from heaven to you. The truth is that we are not orphans looking to find a place of acceptance in God's house through our works, but we are beloved sons and daughters right now and are partakers of Abraham's blessing.
My prayer today is that each one of us would know more and more in increasing measure who we are in Christ right now. We are joint-heirs with Jesus and beneficiaries of every spiritual blessing in heavenly places because of our union with our Elder Brother. May the tangible reality of living life with a cup that overflows become the normal way of living for all of us. May we all learn to drink deeply from the riches of heaven today so that we can indeed be a blessing to a world that is crying out to be blessed by God Himself.
Ephesians 1;3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love; (WEB)