God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:3
Her brightly printed t-shirt read, “Too blessed to be stressed, too anointed to be disappointed.”
Hopefully, the wearer of that t-shirt never has a bad day, at least not out in public!
Sayings like these should make us stop and think about the true meaning of being “blessed.” Too many people have been shipwrecked in their faith by wrong assumptions of blessing, believing that the main expression of God’s blessing is material wealth or prosperity. When we read the Bible as a whole, that idea is laughable. Jesus even said it’s hard for a rich person to enter His kingdom because of the humility and dependence that’s required (Matthew 19:24)!
The follower of Jesus has to consciously beware of placing hope in a life that works, saying, “if only I have this or achieve that, then I’ll be blessed.” Today, much of the world has more wealth, medical care, comfort, options, and knowledge than any previous generation, and yet discontent and anxiety are at all-time highs.
What does the blessing of God look like? God’s blessing on our lives doesn’t mean they are struggle free. Instead, we are blessed by the presence of God with us in all things, working through every circumstance for our eternal good and His great purposes. God’s blessing in our lives is God with us. It’s the wonder of how He takes our hunger and satisfies us in Him and takes our grief and comforts us.
Jesus said, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3). Jesus isn’t just our way to having joy, peace and life—He, Himself, is our blessing! Define blessing any other way, you’ll be disappointed, distracted, or disillusioned.
