Flipping the BlessingNow, I know what you may be thinking. Am I promising health, wealth, and prosperity? The answer to that is an unequivocal no! God promises us something so much better than physical health or material wealth. Plus, some of God’s greatest blessings are blessings in disguise. The blessing of God is not an immunity card against pain and suffering. Jesus said point blank, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33, NIV). He Himself endured far more than His fair ...
Flipping the Blessing
Now, I know what you may be thinking. Am I promising health, wealth, and prosperity? The answer to that is an unequivocal no! God promises us something so much better than physical health or material wealth. Plus, some of God’s greatest blessings are blessings in disguise.
The blessing of God is not an immunity card against pain and suffering. Jesus said point blank, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33, NIV). He Himself endured far more than His fair share of earthly troubles, including the cross! What makes us think we can become like Jesus without going through some of the same struggles He did? But take note—this promise doesn’t end with “trouble.” Don’t make the mistake of putting a period where God puts a comma! In the same breath, Jesus declared, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
In fact, God has postured Himself to bless you from the very beginning. The Hebrew word for “blessing,” barak, is repeated 330 times in the Old Testament. It means to bless the one who blesses you. And in the New Testament, we get two flavors of blessing—makarios and eulogētos. The concept of blessing may be Greek to you, but I want you to understand that blessing is the central storyline of Scripture from start to finish.
Some of God’s blessings are as simple and straightforward as the sunrise. Others are more difficult to discern, like the blessing of brokenness. But of this I’m certain: the blessing of God is the solution to your biggest problem, the answer to your boldest prayer, and the fulfillment of your bravest dream.
Yet just as “trouble” doesn’t have the final word in our lives, the endgame of God’s blessing is not getting but giving! God doesn’t bless us to raise our standard of living. God blesses us to raise our standard of giving.
That idea is as old as the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:2–3. Even better, the old covenant has been updated and upgraded by what Christ accomplished on the cross.
Simply put, we are blessed to bless. The way we turn a blessing into a double blessing is by flipping the blessing. In other words, we get a blessing by giving a blessing. That is counterintuitive and countercultural, but that is the miracle. And you will be a bigger blessing to more people because of it.
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