What does it take for you to feel blessed, and what circumstances in your life seem to hinder your ability to see the blessings of God. We must first understand not the forms of blessings that are given to us, but that we ourselves are not worthy of anything, it is Christ that lives in us. “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:4)
We hold no infinite value within ourselves, God did not create us because He had a great need for us, we do not add anything to Almighty God, He is without need. A difficult subject for some to comprehend, for not only does pride tell us we are necessary, but our very natures inform us that we serve a purpose, that we have a place amongst creation that is vital, but we deceive ourselves. It can belittle a man greatly to come to the realization that he is not necessary, that the world can do without him, that even his loving family will continue to exist when he is gone, he is not as needed as he thinks, and this realization can break his very spirit, it will die within him. But my friends, this is the fact that we are commanded to do, to die to self, (Gal. 2:20) to give no thought at all to even our lives, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3)
I have heard many men in the course of my life say the words “If it wasn’t for me,” and it is sad to see the look on their faces when I inform them that there are nearly eight billion people on this planet, and that it is a relatively secure statement that there is someone somewhere that can more than likely perform every task they have ever accomplished, that they will be missed only by a relative few when they are gone, and that in time, every deed, even their name will be forgotten. (Prov. 10:7) We tend to think that each of us fulfills a purpose in this life, that we are a necessary item to the continuance of the species, but we are not.
For the child of God, if you cannot see and start with the greatest blessing you have, you will never truly be able to recognize and accept any other that God gives you. Jesus Christ is the only blessing in your life that will hold any eternal value, He is not only the greatest gift from Almighty God, but He is the sustainer of our souls. What was your first thought when I began this letter to you, what did you see as the greatest blessing in your life, was it your loving spouse, your children, a materialistic item that will fade in time, perhaps your deliverance from a sinful habit, what blessing was the first one that came into your mind. We tend to do that, we look around us, see those we love, see the blessings of the materialistic, new and old, we give pause to ponder the events of the past where we knew the blessings of our Lord and His infinite mercy, and we walk right past Jesus Christ as we do so.
Imagine a large white empty expanse, absolutely void of anything, and then see Jesus Christ at a door, His hand ready to swing it open to all the blessings that He has in store for you. We tend to run through that door, receiving more than we could ever expect, instead of lingering contently by the side of the One who offers us freely all of those additional blessings. Far too many love what the giver can give more than the giver Himself. Our Lord used our brother Job to give us an example of this truth within ourselves, a just man, righteous, one who eschewed evil, (Job 1:1) and in the end, before he was doubly blessed, he found God to be all he needed. He would have been just as content to die on that dunghill of pain and sorrow knowing this as a truth.
A man or woman that is blessed by God with the wisdom and knowledge that Jesus Christ is the only blessing we need will find contentment and fulfilment only in Him, all other blessings will be welcomed, whether they be the birth of a child or the pronouncement of cancer, none can be compared to the greatest blessing we have been given. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) The lost will never know this blessing, only the loss of it, of Him, the surety of the most grievous mistake of their lives, the moment they are cast into the lake of fire, the moment when all hope is extinguished. The word “Blessing” takes on an entirely new meaning for the born-again believer in the light of Jesus Christ, it is not what He blesses us with that matters any longer, it is Jesus Himself, with Him we need nothing else, without Him we have nothing.
Where He leads, we will follow, past the treasures of this world, past the cares and worries, right through the valley of the shadow of death, in fact through deaths door itself, for He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. (Deut. 31:8) Nothing you have been blessed with can compare to Him, no happiness can be compared to the joy that is Jesus Christ. Everything you need, everything you have ever wanted, all your hopes and dreams, every aspiration is fulfilled in Christ our Lord. Those who gain Him have found all they were looking for, have received the one true blessing, and everything beyond that door pales in comparison.
