From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Catherine Brown is a prolific writer and teacher. I always look forward to her words of affirmation and encouragement. If you want to know how to receive and release the blessings as Jesus did, then read this word by my friend Catherine. AND why not get her resources just below that will also benefit you greatly.
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Catherine Brown:
Receiving and Releasing Blessing
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed..." 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV)
Jesus – Our Role Model
Today we continue our reflections on the prayer of Jabez and the condition of blessing under which we, as Believers, are graced to live. We now take a glimpse at the Lord's life and the times in which He moved in receiving blessing and/or releasing blessing. Please note that this is not an exhaustive study, but a simple overview to contextualise blessing in the New Testament in the life of our Lord.
At Birth
Then Simeon blessed them, and said... Luke 2:34
We can see evidence of blessing throughout the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. At the time of Jesus' birth, Simeon took the Lord in his arms and blessed Him, also speaking a powerful blessing over Joseph and His mother Mary. The blessing of God is thus affirmed afresh in the New Testament context as being a blessing for the entire family and one that overflows in our lives even from the moment of our birth. The love of God our Father flows continually to us through the Son and by the Holy Spirit into every aspect of our lives.
In Ministry
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to Heaven, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Luke 9:16-17
When Christ multiplied the loaves and the fishes for the hungry crowds, He first blessed them, giving thanks to God and then presented them to the disciples to share amongst the people. In blessing the humble provision in the name of the Lord it miraculously multiplied into provision that was able to feed thousands. Blessing the provision we have in our hands in the name of Jesus Christ is a powerful prayer that acknowledges the omnipotence and love of our Creator God which releases a miracle flow of our Father's abundance into our lives. Blessing and faith operate side by side.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:13-14
When speaking about caring for the poor and needy, Jesus told His beloved disciples that they would be blessed as they ministered to the poor and the sick; indeed, this would be given as an eternal reward. It is important to realise that as we reach out in Christ's love to share the Gospel we do so from a condition of blessedness. Our witness and works of love release blessing both to those whom we minister to and also flows back as reciprocal blessings from the Lord into our own lives.
"When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them."
At the time of the Last Supper, the Lord blessed the elements of bread and wine and shared them with His disciples. The institution of the Lord's Supper was a time of Kingdom blessing at its inauguration and continues to release untold blessing to the global Church as we meet in holy intimacy and union with Christ and each other (see Luke 22).
Furthermore, our Lord Jesus broke bread with the two disciples who travelled with Him on the road to Emmaus, and in so doing, their spiritual eyes were enlightened to comprehend and acknowledge by faith the declaration of the glory of the Risen Christ. The blessing of sharing the bread and wine is a means by which we remember Christ and His atoning death and resurrection until He returns. When we remember the victory of Calvary, we stand on the firm foundation of every blessing Christ appropriated for His Bride – forgiveness, healing and wholeness, righteousness, peace and joy. Truly John understood this new covenant truth when he wrote, "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another" (John 1:16).
At the triumphal entry to Jerusalem during the time of Passover, the people of Jerusalem recognised Christ as their Messianic King; part of their praise expression to the Lord was to shout, "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Luke 19:38).
When we come to realise the magnitude of who Christ is and all that He has sacrificed for the salvation of mankind, we will bless the Lord with all of our hearts, strength, soul and mind. Likewise, when we comprehend just how blessed we are by God, our mouths cannot contain the joy felt deep down in our souls. As we correlate understanding of blessedness with crying out to God, we remember Jabez (the inspiration of our study) and we see a picture of Jabez emerging that simultaneously convinces and perhaps also convicts us of our need to be more active in the processing of blessing: "Oh, that you would bless me indeed!"
This may lead us to conclude, therefore, that the nature of blessing is not passive.
After His Death, Resurrection and Prior to the Lord's Ascension
Having established that Christ's birth was marked by blessing, just as importantly, we also acknowledge that Jesus blessed His disciples after His death and resurrection just prior to His ascension into Heaven. The Lord's last recorded act of gracious benevolence towards His dearest disciples was to bless them. Jesus' birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension were all marked with a particular Kingdom hallmark from the Father – blessing! The risen Lord "lifted up His hands, and blessed them" (Luke 24:50).
This leaves us in no doubt of the Lord's willingness and ability to bless His servants. Today, let's open our hearts and minds afresh and remember Christ has lifted up His holy, pierced hands on the Cross to pour untold blessing upon the Church. His blood sacrifice is the means by which we are blessed. It is an eternal blessing of inestimable beauty and worth.
Father, we bow our hearts and minds before You in humility and adoration; we quiet ourselves before Your throne of grace and we ask today that You would enable us to be active by faith in receiving and releasing blessing to the glory of Your Name. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
In His great love,
Catherine Brown
Founder/Director Gatekeepers Global Ministries,
Co-Founder, Scottish Apostolic Networking Enterprise
Email: admin@gatekeepers.org.uk
