“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.”
Proverbs 11:25 (The Message)

“BESTOWERS OF BLESSINGS”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

How thankful we should be! We are entering the month of “thanksgiving”, November! This is the month when we think about all God has so graciously given us. This is the month when we pull out all the stops to come together with family and friends to celebrate the abundance that has been laid at our feet. God has blessed us over and over again! Blessings flow from God, even when we don’t see them… even when we are overwhelmed… even when we are blinded by illness, loss, complications and struggles. We are to look past what we see and think we understand and reach toward others ready to pass on the blessings.

St. Francis of Assisi, in his prayer states, “It is in giving that we receive.” Sounds backwards, doesn’t it? We receive and then we give, at least where God is concerned. God gives to us and out of thanksgiving we give back to God. Yet, there is also a principle of giving to others which God wants us to operate under and somehow it works. It is as though God has set us up in an unending circle. In Proverbs 11:25 (MSG) we read, “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” We are blessed to be a blessing and then the cycle starts over again and again and again.

One day in our Thursday Bible Study one of our participants, Teresa, said, “We are BESTOWERS of BLESSINGS.” We all had to step back a bit to take in the profound wisdom in her statement. Yes we are! That is what we have been called to do as the children of God. God has bestowed blessings on us and in return, we BESTOW BLESSINGS on others. The definition of a BESTOWER is a person who makes a gift of property. They are a GIVER, a PRESENTER of the gift. As those of us from Bible Study have reflected more and more on the weighty nature of Teresa’s statement, we have been moved. God’s Spirit has stirred within us as we imagine the different levels we can impact the lives of others by BESTOWING on them the gifts of God.

God has blessed us in so many ways, yet the greatest has been his love through Christ’s death on the cross… which leads to forgiveness,… which leads to eternal life,… which leads to an understanding of new life,… which pushes us to share what we have received and known from God to blessing others. God also has bestowed the gifts and fruits of the Spirit upon us, through which we touch the lives of others. Whether we take what he has given us monetarily or spiritually and share with others, lives are changed.

How can the phrase, “You are a BESTOWER OF BLESSINGS,” change your perspective and the lives of others?

During this month of THANKSGIVING let us give others reasons to be thankful as we bless them.

In Christ,
Pastor Barb