Blessings flow in many directions

I attended a luncheon Friday, co-sponsored by H.I.S. Bridgebuilders and Sheila Bailey Ministries, aimed at uniting Christian women from different cultures. I’m sure most would say my culture was among the more “advantaged” of those represented. But in reality, many of the other ladies are far richer than me in things of eternal value, even those ladies who hardly have a dollar to their name.

It reminded me of the great book, “Same Kind of Different as Me” by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. If you haven’t read it, I certainly recommend you do. It will change the way you view life. Like Ron Hall (the co-author of the book), I discovered that my presence was less about being the blessing than receiving one.

How arrogant we are in our blessings! Sometimes we get caught up in the things of the world that we can offer to others, and fail to recognize the things of the Spirit that others can offer to us–things of much greater value.

We say we desire to look at the world through a biblical lens, to see life through God’s eyes. Yet, our belief systems impact how we view the world, and all too often our belief systems are not aligned with God’s Word, even when it comes to the subject of blessing.

We believe that we are blessed to be a blessing, and this is true. We believe in our call to minister to others, blessing the widow and caring for the orphan, and this also is correct. But we interpret blessing as some sort of limited food chain concept, dictating that we are designed to bless those with less “stuff”. The resulting misbelief, then, is that we can only be blessed by those who have more “stuff” than we have. Instead, we should believe the truth that God intends for His church to be a community of blessing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” Encouragement and blessing are meant to be mutual within the body of Christ. We must guard against believing that blessing is a one-way street. I’m not suggesting we should expect to be blessed by others in return, but we should expect that we can be.

There are many kinds of blessings, and they can flow in many directions. We are both prideful and deceived if we believe we are beyond being blessed by those who have less than we do on the outside. The truth is, sometimes those with less to show on the outside have a spiritual storehouse on the inside overflowing with love and wisdom. And what a blessing such people are!

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  1. “Same Kind of Different as Me” is a indeed a good read. A worthwhile recommendation!

    June 6, 2009
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  2. jodiraquel09 said:

    Thank you for posting a review of “Same Kind of Different as Me.” I work with Thomas Nelson, and we would love to follow your blog and hear what readers think of this exciting book. I also want to let you know that Ron and Denver have just released a new book “What Difference Do It Make?” which updates readers on their activity since the last book came out. Please contact me if you are interested in receiving a complimentary copy of the new book for review on your site. Thanks! Jodi Hughes pubintern@thomasnelson.com

    November 3, 2009
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