What Does It Mean To Be Blessed? By Sharon Musgrove #devotional

 What Does It Mean To Be Blessed?

By Sharon Musgrove

“’But don’t you have just one blessing for me, Father? Oh, bless me my father! Bless me!’ Esau

sobbed inconsolably.” Genesis 27:38 MSG

My family has been in the habit of saying bless you when one of us sneezes. To be honest, it has

never really meant anything other than acknowledging an involuntary bodily function. But when

our kids were small, and someone didn’t say bless you when they sneezed, they would flippantly

ask are there any bless yous!!? As if they had missed out on something owed them.

Similarly, in the story of competing twins, Esau and Jacob, Genesis 27 tells of a grown man

wailing, despondent that his rightful blessing has been given to his brother. Esau’s explosive

reaction to losing out on his father’s blessing is a bizarre and foreign response to us today in our

current, blessing-less culture. What was the significance of a blessing?

The first blessing recorded in the Bible is given by God when He created the creatures that filled

the ocean and the air. Genesis 1:22 says, “God blessed them: ‘Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean!

Birds, reproduce on Earth!’” (MSG). The Creator repeats this blessing at the conception of

humanity.

“God blessed them: ‘Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the

sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.’” Genesis 1:28

(MSG)

The word bless comes from the Hebrew word barak, which is literally translated to kneel. This

technical definition of barak is also used in Genesis 24:11 to describe the behavior of camels

kneeling down at the watering well, when Abraham’s servant went looking for a wife for his

master’s son.

So, how do we connect the dots between kneeling and a blessing?

In the beginning of the world, we see God giving living creatures, including humans, the go-

ahead to make more of themselves. To reproduce. And the Father has given His earthly beings

everything they require to succeed in doing so. In essence, God submits His authority so that we

can do as He has done and make more of what He has made.

This is God’s blessing: kneeling down so that others can step up in partnership with Him.

This transfer of responsibility is mirrored in the blessing Esau missed out on. His father, Isaac,

relinquished his patriarchy and handed the keys of the family legacy over to Jacob, leaving Esau

with nothing. Remember, Abraham’s legacy of God’s favor had been passed to his son Isaac.

Esau expected Isaac would turn over God’s legacy to him. Esau bawled because the fame and

fortune of his family line were not his right.

Esau had a heart of entitlement, resulting in hatred when did not get what he felt was his right. In

Jesus’ day, the Pharisees modeled that same spirit.

But the life of Jesus modeled what the Holy Father initiated in creation. Jesus lived a life of

servitude, bending down to lift others up. Humility being the blessing posture.

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but

didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter

what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status

of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly

humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life

and then died a selfless, obedient death – and the worst kind of death at that – a crucifixion.”

Philippians 2:5-8 (MSG)

This passage in Philippians reminds us that we have been blessed via Christ’s acts of service.

And we’ve been handed an invitation into God’s Kingdom as a partner. There is nothing we have

done to earn that right, in fact, we’ve done all the bad things that should get us uninvited!

Nonetheless, the blessing stands. The opportunity remains: do as He has done and make more of

what He has made.

Blessings may have been lost culturally, tossed around without meaning, but God’s Kingdom

still offers us the ability to be as He intended us to be...a blessing. This was the order that was set

at the onset of life: that God’s creation would, like Him, kneel down in order to lift another up.

Author Bio:

 

Sharon has been writing and teaching biblically based curriculum, Bible studies, and devotionals since 2007.    

 

She has had the unique position of writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served women in the homeless community.

 

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to speak in Leadership camps intended on encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young women.

 

Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

 

Sharon and her husband, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown children. 

 

Currently, Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing face to face. Additionally, she is working towards a degree in Ministry. 

 

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Connect with Sharon:

Website: Sharonmusgrove.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonmusgrove_untethered/