The blessings

Friends,

What the LORD has given to you, is yours.
What the LORD has not given to you, is not.

This seems so simple, so basic. Yet, we know that ignoring this fundamental principle has resulted in so much pain, so much destruction and so much strife. So let us be reminded:

Exodus 20:17 [NKJV]
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

To covet is to to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others. Notice that desire, in and of itself, is not a sin. But when desire is unrestrained by the acknowledge that we have no right to the object of our desire, it is clearly forbidden.

Has the LORD called another to a ministry you had your set upon?
Has God blessed another with wealth while you toil for what seems like a pittance?
Has your neighbor found the godly husband you have been dreaming of and praying for?

Do not covet these things. Recognize the blessing you have.

Be encouraged, Jose

Who we are is what we receive

Friends,

Life, in all is glory and misery, happens to all people. We all experience sickness, health, joy, grief, loss and gain. The difference is in how we experience these events. The difference is based on our position before God.

Proverbs 3:3 [NKJV]
The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the home of the just.

The justified woman recognizes that the everyday of life is a gift from a kind and loving Father. The carnal man sees the everyday of life as monotonous drudgery.

As believers, we have access to the vision of the abundant life in Christ. Take hold of that vision today.

Be encouraged, Jose

Hallmarks of a blessed life

Friends,

We still cling to a odd, temporal notion of what it means to be blessed. We see a big house, a nice car, a healthy family, or success in business and call that man blessed. We see a struggling family, or a disruptive illness, and choose not to see in any blessing in that.

But contrast that view with what God says about blessings:

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84:5-7 [NKJV]

The whole basis of whether a man is "blessed" or not has nothing to do with present-day circumstances. Rather it has everything to do with the eternal condition of the heart.
Does the heart draw its strength from the LORD?
Is the desire focused on moving through this world and to the LORD?
Are the eyes set on things above?

These, brothers and sisters, are the hallmarks of a blessed man. It is worth examining our hearts today for evidence of their presence.

Be encouraged, Jose

A load of benefits

Friends,

What have you experienced today?
The Lord has directed every one of your steps. He has done so specifically for you.
His generosity and unending love has been demonstrated to you.

Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
Psalm 68:19 [NKJV]

Regardless of how our finite minds have judged, valued or interpreted the events of today, we must remind ourselves of the perfect goodness and kindness of our Heavenly Father.

Be encouraged, Jose

He has set his own apart

Friends,

The LORD promises something remarkable to those who are godly. He promises that we will be treated as a distinct and unique group of people. We will not experience the same things as those who are not godly.

But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
Psalm 4:3 [NKJV]

Sometimes, this means that we will be subject to higher standard, and therefore to more severe consequences for our disobedience.

At most times, though, this means that will experience great blessings while the world explodes around us. We will hear the blasts, and feel the percussion. But while the ungodly see only destruction, we will be at peace, seeing eternity.

We are truly set apart. He listens specifically for the voice of His people, just as those who are truly His know the voice of Almighty God.

Be encouraged, Jose

When it's hard to listen

Friends,

Even those who are seemingly deeply devoted to Christ Jesus will find it difficult to hear a rebuke. No one likes to be told that they are doing something wrong. Few enjoy being corrected. And it is the rare man who seeks out criticism ... constructive or otherwise.

For this reason, it is easy to tune out the one comes as a prophet. It is so tempting to dismiss them when they do not have a credential or a title. It is a simple exercise to ignore the fact that the LORD uses whom He will, regardless of what the world calls them.

Micah 2:7
You who are named the house of Jacob:
Is the Spirit of the LORD restricted?
Are these His doings?
Do not My words do good
To him who walks uprightly?

The prophet is not speaking to non-believers. He is not rebuking the world or Satan. Nor is he addressing his words to false professors and hypocrites.

These words are given to those who are named the house of Jacob ... those whom the LORD has adopted into His family and kingdom. We are the ones who, by Christ's grace, walk uprightly.

The Spirit of the LORD is completely unencumbered. He can speak to and through whom He pleases. And when He does, the words do good. Therefore, we must not ignore those words. We must listen. We must heed them. And only then will be in a position to experience the blessings of Almighty God.

Be encouraged, Jose

The declaration's response

Friends,

Is it possible for a man to be blameless? In our limited judgment, we can only say no. Yet how does Almighty God, the maker and keeper of covenants, come to say this ...

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
Genesis 17:1-2 [NKJV]

In our awkward logic, we read the translated passage and assume that Jehovah is giving Abram two interrelated commands: to walk before God and, while he is doing so, to behave in a way that brings no blame or judgment upon himself.

But that is not exactly what is going on here.
The LORD is giving Abram one command: to walk before Him. As He does so, the LORD will render a judicial judgment: that Abram is blameless. God is making a declaration. A decision. God has extended His grace upon Abram. It is not in response to Abram's walk. Abram's walk in is response to God's grace.

This is the same transaction that occurs between the LORD and all of His people ... including you and me. So let us walk before Him, for He has declared us blameless. Not because of what we did or did not do, but because He has declared it be so.

Be encouraged, Jose

If not for God

2 “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us, 3 Then they would have swallowed us alive...
Psalm 124:2-3 (NKJV)

The Psalmist boldly and confidently declared a real testimony. It was a story of triumph and victory over the schemes and overtures of men. So lethal and deadly were the intent of men, but the grace of God remained sufficient.

6 Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:6-8 (NKJV)

We must never lose sight of this uncommon grace and mercies from our Savior, neither must we take it for granted. If not for God!!! what would have been the lot of man? To God be all glory forever more.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Forgetting is hazardous

Friends,

The past week has been full of reminders to be thankful for the blessings we enjoy. This is good thing for anyone to do. Yet, we must be mindful of the danger that comes with focusing on the blessings. We can too easily fall into the trap of neglecting to focus on the One who blesses.

Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold,
Therefore you will plant pleasant plants
And set out foreign seedlings;
In the day you will make your plant to grow,
And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish;
But the harvest will be a heap of ruins
In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.
Isaiah 17:10-11 [NKJV]

God is warning you and I that all of our hard work is a vanity when we cease being mindful of our Lord and Master. Consider this truth, brothers and sisters.

Be encouraged, Jose

Righteousness Pays

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Psalm 112:1-2 (NKJV)

The path of the righteous isn't always a glamorous one. In today's world, it is undesirable, not fascinating and defies the norms and rudiments of today's modern culture. As dull and uninteresting as the world may portray righteous living, it is the best way of life. One that not only keeps the righteous in the present but also preserves his legacy and sustains his future generations.

I have been young, and now am old;Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
Psalm 37:25 (NKJV)

The requirements may be stringent, the pressure of compromise may be intense, the way of the righteous may be seasonally lonely, but it is the best way of life, both for now and for eternity. So brothers and sisters, let us pursue righteousness with all our might and heart. We will never go wrong on the side of righteousness.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi