We are all blessing conscious. We want blessings at every turn, and the Lord will indeed bless us. And if it is from the Lord, the blessing is perfect. In his proverbs, King Solomon said, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it” (Prov. 10:22). There are many blessings that are less than perfect, and these bring untold sufferings. In the end, one wonders if these are indeed blessings. It must be remembered that even the devil can pose as an angel of light. He gives what looks like a blessing, but these turn out to be a burden in the end. Be on guard; not everything that glitters is gold.
In his epistle, the apostle James said, “Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:16-17). It is important to note that our blessings come from the Lord. And his blessings will stay with us for as long as we align ourselves with his plans and hold on to his Word. God is not fickle minded; he does not change his promises at every turn.
It is a fact that many are blessed, but their blessings do not last long. Their blessings are like the flowers of the field that are here today and are gone tomorrow. But how can we stay blessed? The apostle James spilled the secret of staying blessed when he said, “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). He said this in relation to how fleeting things can be – as fleeting as when we forget what we look life after looking at ourselves in a mirror. From his words, we can see that we can stay blessed when we do the following:
Look intently at the perfect law. God’s promised blessings are imbedded in Scriptures. We need to look intently at the Scriptures and extract from it the good promises of God. As in the case of Joshua, God commanded: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8). God assured Joshua that for as long as he looked intently at the Word, he would always be blessed. Having been fully blessed himself, King David also shared the secret of staying blessed when he said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Abide in the Word. It is imperative that we abide or remain in the Word. Jesus himself said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). Jesus likened us to a branch that is attached to him, the vine. For as long as we are connected with him, there will always be a blessing flowing, just like a branch that continues to receive nourishing sap from the vine. And because we remain in him, Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7)
Be not a forgetful listener. How often do we forget God’s promises and yet vividly remember hurtful words uttered against us in the past? Many believers are selective in their listening. They listen intently to anything but the Word of God as if these are idle words. But God said, “They are not just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess” (Deut. 32:47). Forgetfulness has been the reason many could not endure in their walk with the Lord. They forgot his commands and his promises. For this reason, we are told, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deut. 4:9).
Be an effectual doer. There are those that are good listeners, but they are lacking in action. The apostle James said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matt. 7:24).
Be blessed and stay blessed always! Hallelujah!
