One of my favorite Bible verses is the blessing which the priests gave to the Israelites long ago...
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." (from Numbers 6:24-26)
My interpretion of this passage would sound something like this...
May the LORD take care of you and hold you in His loving arms
May you see the LORD smile and feel His loving kindness
May God turn His face towards you so that you feel at peace.
In a few weeks we will be blessing our graduates. I constantly struggle with how to bless people. It is a foreign concept to our culture. And yet, I know how sweet it is to hear a blessing from a loved one.
I hope I can continue to learn how to bless others. What to say, how to say it.
May God Almighty bless you today
Feel His presence as He walks beside you
Know He loves you as you look at the sky
May the LORD keep you and your loved ones wrapped in His protective arms
May He give you abundant joy and contentment
As you rest in His presence.
Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Monday, December 04, 2006
"Gimme, gimme" to "Take It, take it!"
The topic of "Giving" has somehow found it's way into my life multiple times recently. I'm embarassed to say that this is a facet of my walk with God that is lacking in a severe way.
You see, we have been the recipients of giving quite a bit during our ministry, but rarely have we been givers. Oh sure, I tell myself that I give lots of my time and all my effort, sometimes even working at "odd' hours! I seem to justify my lack of giving quite often.
This passage from 2 Corinthians 9 really spoke to me:
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
I don't want to be a "reluctant giver" any more. I don't want to give because I feel "pushed" to give (even though my teens have noticed my problem and say, "Franklin, you'll get it right back! It's like you're paying yourself anyway!") I know they don't mean to "push" me, so maybe I should take it as a challenge.
I want to give because God has given so much to me! Tracy and I have decided to start off small, but give CONSISTENTLY, which we have never done. We decided to be consistent because GOD has been consistent in blessing us!!
I have always wanted to be a "giver." I always thought it would be cool to help somebody pay off some debt, or drop off some surprise cash around Christmas time for a struggling family. But first, I need to learn to be a giver so that "you will be made rich in every way SO THAT you can be generous on every occasion..."
You see, we have been the recipients of giving quite a bit during our ministry, but rarely have we been givers. Oh sure, I tell myself that I give lots of my time and all my effort, sometimes even working at "odd' hours! I seem to justify my lack of giving quite often.
This passage from 2 Corinthians 9 really spoke to me:
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
I don't want to be a "reluctant giver" any more. I don't want to give because I feel "pushed" to give (even though my teens have noticed my problem and say, "Franklin, you'll get it right back! It's like you're paying yourself anyway!") I know they don't mean to "push" me, so maybe I should take it as a challenge.
I want to give because God has given so much to me! Tracy and I have decided to start off small, but give CONSISTENTLY, which we have never done. We decided to be consistent because GOD has been consistent in blessing us!!
I have always wanted to be a "giver." I always thought it would be cool to help somebody pay off some debt, or drop off some surprise cash around Christmas time for a struggling family. But first, I need to learn to be a giver so that "you will be made rich in every way SO THAT you can be generous on every occasion..."
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