Be A Blessing To Others...All Year Through

Genesis 12:1-3 -  Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

When Abram turned 75 the Lord spoke these words to him. The familiar words of how he called Abram out of his father’s house to begin a great journey with God. It was a journey that would make him the father of God’s chosen people.  He would be blessed…and be a blessing to others.

My mind hung on this thought…God was going to bless Abram…but Abram was going to be a blessing to others. God’s purpose in calling Abram wasn’t just to make him great…wasn’t just to raise up a nation of chosen people…it was to begin the plan in motion that would eventually bring God’s only son to earth as a baby to save the whole world.

People seem to get this concept at Christmas time. Churches do Christmas stores….thrift stores give away winter coats… and schools pack baskets with canned food collected by their students. We all give gifts to our loved ones as we share a rare time of togetherness …fellowshipping and eating a holiday meal.

The holiday spirit seems to wane as Christmas lights are packed… people content to settle back into the routine they were in before the Christmas decorations hit the stores again. But God did not mean for us to ever pack the spirit of giving away with those Christmas decorations. He wants us to be a blessing to others all the year through.

What a great reminder that since Christmas brought us a gift that never stops giving….God wants us to let him speak ways to our hearts of blessing others all though the year. It’s not quite new years…but I think that this insight God laid on my heart this morning requires a pre-new year’s resolution….to find one new way of blessing others that I can carry out all year long. 

Father...thank you for the reminder that I am to be a blessing to others…every moment of my life….all year through. Forgive me for the times that I let the routines of daily life make me forget to help others.  Show me new ways that will help you bless others this coming year… so that more people can learn of the great love you have for all of us.  Amen.