Tag: God’s blessing

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Numbers Devotionals

How God sees us

worship

How can I curse someone God has not cursed?

How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced? (Numbers 23:8)

As I read those words, I thought about what Paul said to the Roman Christians.

Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. (Romans 8:33-34)

Satan would denounce us before the Father for all our sins and failures.

Sometimes, we even denounce ourselves.

But how can we denounce someone our Father has not denounced?

Our Father justifies us by the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross. And Jesus himself stands by the Father’s side and defends us.

God foreknew us. He predestined us to be his children and to be like Jesus. He called us. He justified us. And he glorified us in his sight.

That’s how he sees us. He sees us as our loving Father.

And the good news is, he won’t change his mind. I love Numbers 23:19.

God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind.

Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

God is determined to bless us and he will. (Numbers 23:20)

We may face his discipline at times for our sins, but he will never abandon us.

And because he never changes his mind, nothing can separate us from his love. (Romans 8:38-39)

God is with us. So let’s rejoice in our King. (Numbers 23:21)

And every day, let’s cry out, “What great things God has done for me!” (Numbers 23:23)

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Genesis Devotions

To obtain God’s blessing

God's blessing

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (26)

All his life, Jacob strove to get God’s blessing.

He conned his father and brother to try to obtain it. (Genesis 26-27)

He later tried to bargain with God in order to obtain it. (Genesis 28:20-22)

Now he tried to wrestle God for it.

But what he had failed to realize is that God simply wanted to give it to him.

All Jacob had to do was rest in God’s goodness and faithfulness to him. A goodness and faithfulness that God shows to all his children despite our unworthiness. (10)

How much joy would we know if we truly understood that truth?

No striving to receive God’s blessing. Just resting in it.

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Genesis Devotions

I will be with you. I will bless you.

Genesis

…stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you… I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you. (26:3, 24)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t belong to this world. They belonged to God and his kingdom. But for a while, they were called to live on this earth as aliens, as temporary residents. (Hebrews 11:13-16)

They weren’t to live like the people around them, taking on their values or way of life. They were to be different from the people of this world.  

And God promised them that though they would be living like aliens in a foreign land, he would be with them and bless them.

As long as they remembered that, they did well. When they forgot, they got into trouble.

When Abraham and Isaac forgot, out of fear of their neighbors, they claimed their wives were their sisters.

In Jacob’s case, perhaps he wasn’t sure those promises were really for him, so he resorted to deceit in order to gain God’s blessing.

Like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we are like foreigners in a strange land. (1 Peter 2:11, John 17:14-16)

The question is, do we truly believe that God is with us and will bless us? And does that truth shape the way we live?

Take some time to mediate on these words of Paul. Think about what they really mean.

On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory…as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him. (I Corinthians 2:7, 9)

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Song of Solomon

Wedding Day: God’s intention for marriage

I’ve been married for 8 years now, and I still remember my wedding day very well.  I remember how beautiful my wife looked that day, and to this day, she is still beautiful in my eyes.

In chapter 3, you can see Solomon’s limousine coming to pick her up for the wedding, escorted by all his secret service men (okay, so it was a chariot and soldiers, but you get the idea).

Her eyes light upon Solomon looking stunningly handsome in his wedding garb.

Solomon in turn, is totally infatuated with his new bride, as we see him in chapter 4, saying,

How beautiful you are, my darling!  Oh, how beautiful!  (Song of Solomon 4:1)

He then goes into intimate detail of all the things he likes about her, from her eyes, to her teeth, to her temples, to her lips, to her neck, and down to her breasts.

I can imagine him kissing each part as he whispers these words of love.

And unlike in chapter two, where she bade him to leave until the break of day, now he says to her,

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense.  (Song of Solomon 4:6)

I don’t think you have to stretch your imagination far to understand what he means by mountain and hill, particularly after looking at verse 5.

At any rate, he and she intend to totally enjoy their first night together.  And Solomon concludes by saying,

All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you  (Song of Solomon 4:7).

This is the language of love, and very erotic.  And it is good.

How often do husbands and wives continue using this kind of language 10 or 20 years into their marriage?

How much better would marriages be if they did?

He calls her to leave behind her home in Lebanon and to be with him forever, saying,

You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.

How delightful is your love my sister, my bride!  How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!  (Song of Solomon 4:9-10)

It’s a little weird in our culture to refer to our wives as sisters, but in their culture it was common.  The idea is that she was now part of his family.

And if there’s any thought that French kissing started in France, take a look at verse 11.  Solomon knew well about this type of kissing as well.  🙂

But one thing that Solomon admired about her was that she had saved her body for him and him alone.

Before their wedding day, she had been a locked garden,  a spring enclosed, and a sealed fountain.  Though there was much to enjoy of her in a sexual and passionate relationship, she had preserved herself for marriage.

But now, she opens up her garden to him, giving her whole self, body and soul to him, saying,

Awake, north wind, and come, south wind!  Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad.

Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.  (Song of Solomon 4:16)

After coming together, and as they lie next to each other, Solomon says,

I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.

I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk.  (Song of Solomon 5:1a)

At this point, someone speaks.

Who?  Some say it’s her friends.

But my guess is it’s God himself.  And he says,

Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.  (Song of Solomon 5:1b)

That’s what marriage is supposed to be.  Two people loving each other, saving themselves for each other, and enjoying each other in every way.

This is what God blesses.

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Genesis

God’s blessing, God’s will

Genesis

Very interesting interaction between Joseph and his father Jacob here in Genesis 48.

His father is dying and calls in Joseph and his sons in order to bless them. But Jacob can’t see very well, so Joseph puts Manasseh, his older son, on Jacob’s right, and Ephraim, his younger son, on Jacob’s left.

The custom in those days was to put the person of greater honor on the right side and the person of lesser honor on the left, and so Joseph wanted Jacob to know that it was Manasseh who should get the greater blessing.

But Jacob crossed Joseph up, literally. He crossed his arms and put his right hand on Ephraim and his left hand on Manasseh, and blessed them that way, giving the greater blessing to Ephraim.

When Joseph saw this, he immediately tried to stop Jacob, saying “No, no, no. You’ve got it wrong, Father. Give your greater blessing to my older son.”

But Jacob just said, “No, I know what I’m doing. Manasseh will become a great people, but Ephraim will become greater.” And he blessed the two sons.

There is some sense of irony here.

I can’t help but think that Jacob was recalling his own life, where his mother was told by God that Jacob, the younger son, would become greater than Esau, the older son, despite the hopes that Isaac had for Esau. And now, Jacob was telling the same thing to Joseph.

There are two points about God’s blessing and God’s will here that I think can be pointed out.

First, God’s blessing in our lives has nothing to do with our position in life, or how people perceive us.

In Joseph’s family, Manasseh had been treated with greater honor because he was the older son. But God had other plans. It was his will that Ephraim have prominence.

Maybe you look down on yourself because you don’t think you’re so special. “I don’t have any special talents or skills. I’m a nobody. I just work at McDonalds. I’m just a housewife. I just have a boring 9-5 job. Why would God want to bless someone like me?”

Maybe you were always being compared to your brother or sister by your parents and you were always finding yourself being found wanting. “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” “Why can’t you be more like your sister?”

Maybe you weren’t so popular in school, and even now you don’t seem to have many friends.

But God doesn’t care about all that. He doesn’t care about what others think of you. He doesn’t care about your position in life. He cares about you. And he wants to bring blessing in your life. Jesus said in God’s kingdom,

Indeed, there are those who are last, and first who will be last. (Luke 13:30)

Jesus was talking to the Jews who thought that they had a special position in the world as God’s people, but Jesus told them that when God’s kingdom came, people from all over the world would be there, not just the Jews.

And Jesus told them that at that time, some Jews who thought they were so special would be humbled, while some of the ones they looked down upon would be honored.

In a broader perspective, there are people that are in low positions and are looked down upon now, but they will be blessed and exalted, while there are people that are in high positions now that will be humbled.

So don’t think that you’re exempt from God’s blessing just because of your position in life, what your skills or talents are, or how people perceive you. As you follow Jesus, and live your life for him, he will shower you with his blessings.

But there’s another point to be made about God’s will. It doesn’t always coincide with ours. Joseph had his own plans for his sons, as had Isaac. Both had planned for their older sons to be the prominent members of their family. But that wasn’t God’s will.

So often we’re like Joseph, who when Jacob tried to express his will, said, “No, no. You’ve got it all wrong. Do it this way.” But Jacob said, “No, that’s not how it’s going to be.”

And God sometimes does the same thing with us. We have our own plans for our lives. And when God tries to do something different, we tell him “No, you’ve got it all wrong. I want things this way.”

But as Proverbs 16:9 says,

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

And so we can either fight God and try to do things our way, or we can trust him and do things his way. But it’s as we give in to him, that we find blessing in our lives.

I mentioned before that for a long time I fought God’s will for me in my life that I come to Japan. But it was when I gave in, that I found God’s blessing in my life.

Do you want God’s blessing in your life? Remember that it doesn’t matter who you are or how people perceive you. God wants to bless you.

But also remember that his will isn’t always ours. And if we truly want his blessing in our lives, we need to trust and follow him.

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Genesis

To be blessed, and be a blessing

Genesis

I suppose one of these days, I’ll actually get off of these verses. Maybe even tomorrow.

It’s very interesting here that God actually offers Abram what he denied the people of Babel—a great nation, and a name that would last. Which I guess goes to prove that these things aren’t bad in themselves.

But what’s even more interesting to me is what God added: “You will be a blessing… all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God didn’t just want to bless Abram, but he wanted Abram to be a blessing to the people around him. Of course, this ultimately came through one of Abram’s descendants, Jesus himself.

But even while Abram was living on the earth, God’s desire for him was that he be a blessing to others.

So often, Christians pray, “Lord, bless me!” But how often do we pray, “Lord, let me be a blessing?”

“Let me be a blessing to my wife. To my husband. To my kids. To the people at church. To the people at work. To the people in my neighborhood.”

The funny thing is that as we are a blessing to others, we find that we ourselves become blessed as well.

It says in Proverbs 11:25,

The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” (NASB)

The NIV puts it another way:

He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Lord, sometimes it’s so easy to get wrapped up with myself, asking for my needs and my wants to be met. But change me.

I ask not that you bless me. Rather, I pray that I may be a blessing to the people around me. That when people come away from me, they come away from me refreshed, and encouraged.

Let me be a blessing to my wife, to my daughter, to my coworkers, to the people at church, and to the people in my neighborhood.

More than anything, may they see you in me, and may they become attracted to you because of me. Get my eyes off of myself, and onto the people you have placed in my life. Change my heart.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Genesis

Holding back

Genesis

My decision to move to Japan was not an easy one.

I grew up in Hawaii, and went to school there all the way through college. All my family and friends were living there, and quite frankly, I was just plain comfortable living there. I figured I’d stay there the rest of my life.

And then came the call. It didn’t come by lightning. And it didn’t come all at once. But it came.

I still remember the first day I heard the call.

I was talking to my friend one day, and somehow, we got to talking about being missionaries. And I remember telling him, “God is not calling me to be a missionary.”

To which my friend asked, “How do you know? Did you ask him?”

“Well….no….”

Later that night, I was talking to God, and I said, “Oh, my friend was saying I should ask you about being a missionary.”

And while it wasn’t an out loud voice or anything, I got a very distinct answer: “Yeah, ask me.”

I remember my response just as clearly: “But I don’t want to ask you. What if you say yes?”

The next two years of my life were a struggle of God calling me to Japan and me trying to fight it.

The funny thing is, when I got here, I found myself happier here than I ever was living in Hawaii. And I came to realize, “I guess God knows what he’s doing after all.”

That was 15 years ago.

As I read the story of Abraham, I can’t help but wonder if he struggled with the same kind of feelings.

In verse 1, it says, “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’”

It doesn’t say that at that point in time, “The Lord said…”

It says, “The LORD had told him” before to leave everything behind to follow him.

How long did it take for Abraham (then called Abram) to leave? We don’t know.

It seems, though, that he convinced his dad (Terah) to move the family in the direction of Canaan only to stop before they arrived there (Genesis 11:31).

Why did they stop? Again we don’t know. Maybe Terah told Abram, “I’m too old to keep moving around like this. Let’s just settle down here.”

But whatever the reason, they established their own little town (Haran, apparently named after Abram’s deceased brother), and stayed there for a number of years, until the day Terah died.

It seems that it was at that time that Abram finally remembered God’s call again, picked up, and left everything behind to follow God.

Why did it take so long for Abram to go? God had given him some pretty amazing promises. Maybe it was for some of the same reasons I had. He was comfortable where he was. He had no desire to leave family and friends behind.

Maybe he had other reasons like loyalty to his father and family obligations. But you have to wonder how many years of God’s blessing he missed out on because he held back and didn’t obey God.

How many times do we miss out on God’s blessing, because we’re too comfortable with where we’re at to follow him? How many times have we held on to what’s good, but missed out on what’s best?

It’s something I still struggle with. I like being comfortable. Stepping out in faith is very uncomfortable. But if there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that God knows what he’s doing. And if I follow him, I will find blessing.

As Jesus said,

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29–30)