Blessed to Bless

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 'May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’ Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27, NLT).

God wishes to bless us, but He has a reason and a purpose in it. He blesses us so that we can bless others. He knows that when we give ourselves away we are emptied to receive. He knows that when we share from the bounty of His love that we make more room for that He wishes to impart. He knows that in blessing others we shall be fulfilled in purpose. This is a beautiful continuous cycle of God's blessings. We are blessed so that we can bless and be filled again. We give and then we receive. In sharing out of the bounty of what we have received, we spread His love and purpose into the lives of those who are hungry and seeking.

In these verses we read a special blessing that the Lord instructed Moses to give Aaron and his sons to speak over the people of Israel. It is a blessing for God's protection, His mercy, His favor, and peace. Then the Lord tells Moses something that will let Aaron and his sons know that every time that they impart this blessing, they will also receive. “Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” Imparting the blessings of the faith with which God has blessed us, blesses us with greater faith. Those blessings of faith inspire us to not only to speak His truth, but to live His truth. Faith without works is dead. Faith that doesn't bless others has no life. Faith that is stagnant is never blessed.

In Deuteronomy 28:9-11a, we discover this message. “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you. The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.” (NLT). Our obedience to follow God's precepts and walk in His purpose is blessed by Him. We prosper in His love for us. Others will see that we are His and know that He loves us. God blesses us so that we can tell others about what He is able to do. And in that sharing of His blessing in word, action, and deed, they can feel it and one day hopefully know it.

We are blessed so that we can bless others. In that moment we discover this truth we are fulfilled. Our faith when shared with others not only empowers us, but imparts hope to those we bless. An obedient life is a never ending circle of blessed life. In becoming less, we become more.