PRACTICAL NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANITY
MESSAGE #164
WE ALL LOVE BLESSINGS, DON'T WE!
For some reason it seems like our wonderful God simply loves to send us blessings (which of course we DON'T deserve - but He does it anyway!!) A simple check of the New Testament shows that there are two kinds of blessings: SPIRITUAL blessings and HUMAN (temporal) blessings - AND what's important is for us to realise and understand how these work so very differently.
LOOKING AT THE SPIRITUAL
A. SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS. Consider this amazing verse: Ephesians Ch 1:3 May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! (Amplified Bible)
There is SO MUCH in this verse: (a) It's the Father Who is giving us these blessings (b) they are Spiritual blessings (not human ones) (c) they are in the heavenly (Spiritual) realm (d) the Father is blessing us IN CHRIST (e) and VIA the Holy Spirit (f) Thus all three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned in this amazing verse - as ALL being involved in BLESSING US!!! (g) Finally, Paul is expressing piles of PRAISE and BLESSINGS to the Father for ALL OF THIS THAT HE'S LOVINGLY GIVEN TO US UNDESERVING SINNERS! I think we should all ECHO THIS from the depths of our heart!!
QUESTION: Do we have to ask (or plead) for THESE BLESSINGS? Nope! The verse says God the Father IS FREELY GIVING THEM TO US. All we have to do is give Him heartfelt THANKS for GIFTING THEM to us.
LOOKING AT THE HUMAN
B. HUMAN BLESSINGS. Check out these fabulous verses from our Master: Matthew Ch 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear? The basic needs for all animals, birds, AND US are food, water, clothing. Here God promises THEM ALL - meaning that FIRSTLY, all we need is simply to TRUST (BELIEVE) for them!
TWO IMPORTANT CONDITIONS FOR BLESSING
Continuing Jesus' words: 32 For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. 33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.(Amplified Bible)
So SECONDLY, the verses above set forth two crucial CONDITIONS to be blessed: that we SEEK TO PUT FIRST IN OUR LIFE GOD'S KINGDOM (where He reigns as KING) AND ALSO to be SEEKING TO BE RIGHTEOUS, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS (living RIGHT and living lives that are strongly GOOD). Thus God SUPPLIES all of our life-needs: IF we will 1) TRUST Him, 2) put Him FIRST in our lives, and 3) seek to become more and more RIGHTEOUS - and therefore less and less SINFUL!! (if you find that as attractive a thought as I do!!)
HOW WELL ARE WE REALLY DOING?
Here's the rub for we Western Christians: the part where we are to SEEK FIRST OF ALL HIS KINGDOM, i.e., seek to be putting HIM AND WHAT HE WANTS IN FIRST PLACE IN OUR LIVES. The problem is that so often we don't do that! What we mostly do instead is: we keep ASKING THE LORD for HUMAN BLESSINGS. These are MOST often SELF-CENTERED and SELFISH and therefore SINFUL! We want these things for US; we are NOT seeking them for GOD, so our FOCUS here is totally wrong... DON'T expect blessings this way!!!
USE THESE CHECKS OR TESTS OF YOUR REQUESTS
If you wish to check if your prayer-request is wrong, here's a TEST to use: We already know what WE want, right, so then we need to ask: "What Will GOD Get Out of It?" Another way to go is to ask, "Is this a true NEED or is it simply what I WANT? Also, if you are FULLY COMMITTED to the Lord, please DO allow HIM to choose what human blessings He will give you. HE knows what you need - TRUST HIM! HE also knows which are right and good for you and which are NOT.
I basically don't ask for human-based blessings for myself (and we ARE blessed with quite sufficient to live). If the Lord chooses to give some, that's great and I love Him for doing that. THIS IS FAITH-LIVING - and that pleases Him! I WILL ask them for someone else - for them and the Lord's sake, NOT for my own.
- BM, with his Love 
MAY HE GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH
AND GROW YOU TO MATURITY!