To Be Blessed

Not sure if I have anything original in this, but just something on my mind lately...

As Christians, we are blessed in so many ways. There is some balance between God's promise of blessing (even wealth, health, etc.) to his people and the realization that there is no set distiction between the problems in life that Christians face and non-Christians face.

Here are the "for sure's" to the difference:
1. Christians realize who is in control. They know God is there and they begin to "see" more because they start to recognize what God is doing. For non-Christians, it will always remain confusing because God's ways are not our ways. That brings comfort in knowing no matter how bad things can be or get, we can know we are never "spiraling to the bottom" the way it can appear if you don't know God is in control.
2. Following Christ does not make us perfect and we will sin again, but we sin less if we stay close to God. Sinning less leads to less consequences and many problems in life are due to the consequences of sin.
3. We realize we are blessed because we quit taking personal credit for the things we have in life--from health and loved ones to possessions and wealth.

Now, it comes into play that some people believe our wealth, health, and other blessings have a direct correlation with us asking for it, claiming it, and the faith behind that claim. We know Job had it...it was taken from him at no loss of faith from himself, but it was also given back to him. Well, my statement to that is always that, although the wealth and "people" were replaced, the individual children could never be replaced.

As a people whose natural instinct is to be selfish, I believe God actually made this easier for us than we think. I believe most of what he asks us to do is actually FOR us. When we pray for someone to be healed, God's overall plan isn't going to change for our desire for that person to be healed. The prayer isn't for that person...it's for us. It's for us to get closer to God and to know him better. Don't get me wrong, his plan could be for us to get closer to him by him answering the prayer to heal that person. But, the healing would still only come as part of his plan and not a direct reflection of our faith. I believe a person showing a small amount of faith for the first time could see there prayer answered as part of God's plan, and the most faithful person in the world praying day and night could see their loved one taken home if it was God's plan. I believe prayer, witnessing, seeking wisdom...it's all for our benefit...because God will heal who he wants, reveal himself to who he wants, and carry on his plan with or without us. But, we know it is far better to allow ourselves to be his tool for those things because of the blessings we will get from it.

Our relationship is not about showing enough faith to change God's mind all the time. It's about his plan being in place--for us and those around us--and us trying to find our role in that plan because that plan is the best plan for us and that plan provides the most blessings. And by blessings, I don't think we can compare ourselves to others and see who is more faithful and who is more in God's will. We can only measure it against what we would be like without him.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Give yourself to God and let him change you instead of letting the world determine who you are. Let him change you from the inside-out. And you will see his perfect will at work in your life. The closer you are to him, the less you let sin control you, the more you are in line with that perfect will. The will...the plan...is already perfect and doesn't need to change by our desires or faith. We just need to continually find it and stay in line with it.