| Blessings and Prayer |
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Matthew 6:33
I have found this verse in Matthew expresses a central truth of the Kingdom of God. In the book by Stanley Jones, The
Unshakeable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person, he paraphrases the verse, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these
things (including yourself) will be added unto you.” Seek first something other than the kingdom of God and everything else,
including yourself, will be subtracted from you.
In my life, I used to put myself before the kingdom of God. I was working for selfish reasons, seeking wealth and status, but they
left me unhappy and angry. Eventually things were taken from my life: relationship, business, happiness. Enormous amount of
blessings from God were lost because of my selfishness. I learned that you cannot ignore the principles behind God’s universe
and get away with it.
In the past several years, God has taken priority in my life. God has been adding to my life with better relationship with my
family, peace even through the present economic downturn, deeper friendships, and the opportunity to travel overseas.
In the Old Testament, one understanding of blessing is power to succeed. God wants us to have success and joy in life. In
Deuteronomy 28 we find a list of blessings God promised to Israel if they would obey Him. The blessings include prosperity for
their homeland, personal success, abundant victory, healthy families, and a deeper, more satisfying relationship with God.
In Matthew, Jesus was teaching his followers not to worry, but to trust God. As we surrender our selfish desires and start
working for what will make Him happy instead, we can trust Him to bless us with all the good things we need. God loves to
give good things, but it is when we walk with Him that we will be best positioned to receive the fullest blessings.
I’d like to close with a blessing for you from Numbers 6:24-26:
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to hear more or need prayer and blessings in your life.
I have found this verse in Matthew expresses a central truth of the Kingdom of God. In the book by Stanley Jones, The
Unshakeable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person, he paraphrases the verse, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these
things (including yourself) will be added unto you.” Seek first something other than the kingdom of God and everything else,
including yourself, will be subtracted from you.
In my life, I used to put myself before the kingdom of God. I was working for selfish reasons, seeking wealth and status, but they
left me unhappy and angry. Eventually things were taken from my life: relationship, business, happiness. Enormous amount of
blessings from God were lost because of my selfishness. I learned that you cannot ignore the principles behind God’s universe
and get away with it.
In the past several years, God has taken priority in my life. God has been adding to my life with better relationship with my
family, peace even through the present economic downturn, deeper friendships, and the opportunity to travel overseas.
In the Old Testament, one understanding of blessing is power to succeed. God wants us to have success and joy in life. In
Deuteronomy 28 we find a list of blessings God promised to Israel if they would obey Him. The blessings include prosperity for
their homeland, personal success, abundant victory, healthy families, and a deeper, more satisfying relationship with God.
In Matthew, Jesus was teaching his followers not to worry, but to trust God. As we surrender our selfish desires and start
working for what will make Him happy instead, we can trust Him to bless us with all the good things we need. God loves to
give good things, but it is when we walk with Him that we will be best positioned to receive the fullest blessings.
I’d like to close with a blessing for you from Numbers 6:24-26:
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to hear more or need prayer and blessings in your life.
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