Am I Really #Blessed?
#Blessed! That’s the banner we want flown over our lives and ministries, isn’t it? We want to be able to say (and hear others say), “Wow, the Lord has really blessed you!”
Not a bad desire, mind you. We should all want to be genuinely blessed. But, as they say, the devil is in the details. We need to define what blessing really means. Usually #blessed accompanies social media pics showing happy people in pretty places surrounded by family or friends. Or a nice house or new stuff, sparkling from rays of sunshine sent from heaven. For leaders, #blessed often translates into God delivering on our dreams.
Being blessed is visceral and emotional; a set of circumstances that triggers happy feelings.
How Does God Define #Blessed?
But there’s a problem. That’s not how the Author of the universe and the Source of all goodness thinks of #blessed.
In Matthew 5, Jesus told his disciples what it meant to live the #blessed life. I think we agree that Christ’s definition of terms should define ours as well. So, who are the ones truly blessed? The “poor in spirit,” the ones “who mourn,” “the meek,” those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” “the merciful,” “the pure in heart,” “the peacemakers,” and “those who are persecuted” and “reviled” on account of their righteousness (Matt 5:3–11).
Then Christ provides an example of what the #blessed life really looks like from: “the prophets who were before you” (Matt 5:12).
What Marks the #Blessed Life?
The author of Hebrews tells us of the faithful, blessed lives of the prophets who “through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” If we pause here we might be tempted to think, “Yeah, I think I could see my pic posted on the @Jehovah’sProphet Instagram account!”
But the author presses #blessed into seemingly unblessed expierences, “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated . . . wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves” (Heb 11:33–38).
In our search for blessed lives, God says, “Look to the people of old. Consider their lives”. What do we discover? Blessing was bound up in both what they accomplished and what they suffered because of their faith. Being blessed was a vision of flourishing rooted in conviction and applied towards opposition. Blessing carried conviction and conveyed courage. That’s what it means to be truly blessed.
Remembering the #Blessed One
You see, blessing comes not first from our circumstances, but from being in relationship with the Blessed One–the Savior who obeyed God’s law completely, loved his people sacrificially, died substitutionally and was raised victoriously. Blessed is not first a great vacation spot or sweet season of life. It’s a pardon declared over us because the Blessed One covered our curse with his mercy.
#Blessed is both pardon and pathway. It’s living by faith as his children, imitating him, holding fast to the promise of eternal life, “walk(ing) in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph. 4:1). This is what it means to be truly blessed.
Open your eyes today to the world’s seductive definition of the #blessed life. Don’t buy it. Don’t peddle it. The mark of a truly blessed life is not the world’s approval but endurance in Christ, regardless of the consequences (see James 5:11). #Blessed is bearing the power of the gospel to persevere in a fallen world. It’s living aware that the most magnificent experience delivered in this world will not compare to the first second of eternity with Christ who pronouncess the blessing in this life and then consummates it in the life to come.
Leader, if that is your hope and the sources of your confidence, then you are indeed #blessed.
Today’s Tenacious Question
What immediately comes to mind when you think of the word “blessed”? In what ways does your definition need to be reconfigured? How might reconfiguring your definition change the way you’re thinking about the success of your life or the ministry you may do?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you promised a reward to all those who persevere by faith until the end. Grant me strength to endure today by reminding me of the promises you gave in the Beatitudes, and may your definition of blessing characterize my life and ministry. Amen.
Photo by Bruno Aguirre on Unsplash
