GotBlessing.com

Blessings!  They are all around us.  Do you see them?  Do you appreciate them?  Do you know where they came from?

I went to a staff meeting tonight at church.  It was wonderful.  Pastor Troy was back and totally on fire.  One thing that he shared with us is that he struggles with blessings.  He struggles with feeling guilty when receiving blessings.  He is not alone.  I am so grateful for having gotten to be apart of this meeting again.  I am glad he was open about this, because this is something that I struggle with too.  He put  it out there, and the way he did it… well if you have ever had the pleasure of listening to my pastor teach, you get it.  If not, check out www.flamingoroadchurch.com and you can see archived teachings online, and also check out our Internet Campus.  Very cool.

 Anyway, this made me think.   Using passages from both Philippians (4:4-8) and Ecclesiastes (5:18-20), he brought it home by sharing that by bringing God all things, we will find peace and will truly be able to rejoice. (Philipians)  To be joyful is a  decision, not a feeling.  We choose to be joyful, just as one chooses to be angry.  When we are joyful, things don’t seem to bother us quite so much. 

In Ecclesiastes, the author states ( TNIV), it is appropriate for people to eat [share a meal with loved ones], to drink, [enjoy entertainment] and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor [your job] under the sun….  When we receive His blessings, we should enjoy it, be grateful for it, and not simplify it or explain it away.  We are always afraid that when people hear of our good fortune, jealousy will arise.  We often shoot down our blessing to make others feel better.  When we shoot down, or say no big deal, to a blessing that God gives us, we are telling God that it is no big deal.  Just like the parent that cannot wait to see the look on their child’s face on Christmas morning with the gift that they worked hard to provide their child, God cannot wait to see us enjoy what he provides us.  There is no arrogance in this.  Blessings are not arrogant.  They are a gift from our Daddy God who loves us so much!

Embrace God’s blessing today and everyday!