“. . . I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all -peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”- Genesis12:2-3
In Chapter 2 of All the Places to Go, John Ortberg notes that the word blessing “needs to be rescued from the clichés of social hash tags.” It has become to go-to form for people wanting to brag about an accomplishment while pretending to be humble.
Believing, for Abram, was not only an opportunity to know and experience God, but also included being used by God to benefit others. Abram was blessed to bless. Rather than having an attitude of scarcity, Abram had a attitude of abundance. A spirit of generosity is required when going through an open door.
John states that open doors are an invitation to be part of the misseo Dei– the mission of God. In Genesis 3-11 the word curse is used five times in response to sin. But in Chapter 12,God uses the word bless five times.
For the nation of Israel, blessing included not just God’s gifts but life with God. One could not be blessed in the highest sense apart from becoming a blessing in return.
Today’s question: Following your vocation loss, how have you been blessed to bless? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “You’re not done”
