The Cycle Of Blessing

Read: Genesis 12:1-3

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. Genesis 12:2

IN WORD

God promised to make Abraham into a great nation. We can trace the historical fulfillment of that promise as God grew Abraham’s family into the people of Israel, which eventually became the vehicle for the Messiah, who then sent His followers to the ends of the earth to draw people into God’s Kingdom. Truly the blessing covenant that began with one man became a worldwide phenomenon that continues to bear fruit.

While biblical scholars discuss the meaning of the covenant and its implications for believers today, many miss the Kingdom dynamic embedded in God’s promise. It begins with a blessing given to Abraham, and ends with Abraham blessing others. Abraham receives the benefits of the covenant, but he also spreads them around. He receives and then gives. The blessed becomes a blesser.

That’s God’s intention for all His people, though many of us miss it. We can be so focused on receiving from God that we forget about giving. We are zealous about the gifts without being zealous about sharing them. We want to be blessed but often miss the joy of being a blessing. We need to remember that God pours life and joy and provision into us not only for our sake but also for the sake of others. Or as Jesus put it, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8, NIV). In Luke, Jesus even reverses the order: “Give, and you will receive. . . . The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38). In other words, “Demonstrate that you understand the Kingdom dynamic, and you will be increasingly allowed to participate in it.”

IN DEED

This is the cycle of the Kingdom: God gives, we receive. We give, others receive. Others receive, and all of us give glory to God. Then God gives even more. We disrupt that cycle by neglecting any single element of it, but we can step back into it at any time. We are blessed in order to bless.

ADDITIONAL READING: Luke 6:37-38

God has given us two hands: one for receiving and the other for giving.

BILLY GRAHAM