Thursday, March 23

I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.

Genesis 22:17-18

At the beginning of this year, we were asked to pull a star from a basket to find a word that we would meditate on through 2017.  My word was "Blessings".  As I contemplated the word, my first thoughts were things like "count your blessings" and to be mindful and thankful for the blessings in my life.  During Lent, we wait and watch for the ultimate blessing, our reconciliation with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  In Galatians, Paul tells us that "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us … in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."  As I continued to dig deeper into the concept of blessings, however, I was struck by the fact that stopping with the recognition of our own blessings falls short of the ultimate reason for being blessed.  As we see in the blessing of Abraham in Genesis 22, not only will his offspring be blessed, but "by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing."  Genesis 12 also emphasizes that we are blessed in order that we may be a blessing: "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  So, during this Lenten season, as we await the ultimate blessing, by all means, count your blessings.  But take it a step further and ask yourself:  "If I have been blessed, what am I going to do that will bless others?"

Heavenly Father, we know that we are richly blessed, and we are thankful for those blessings, especially the gift of joining the family of Abraham through Christ's death and resurrection.  Help us to take the next, critical step of taking those blessings and being a blessing to others.  Show us daily who and how we may bless "all the nations of the earth" as well as the people you place right in front of us.  In the name of Jesus, who gives blessings to all, Amen.

Ben Kohns