Bless You part 2

Bless You

Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

                Continuing with the Benediction of Israel (Numbers 6:22-27)   We read in Psalm 84; 11 “God is a sun and shield” and Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Christians are the children of light and should walk in the light. What the sun is to our universe, Jesus is to His people, the source of light and life. If we want to know where we are going, we must live in the light. If we want to produce fruit for God’s glory, we must live in the light. For the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness and truth.

we read “ God makes His Face to Shine on Us and Is Gracious to us”.

                We receive God’s grace when we need it, when we are living for God and when we come to Him. God’s grace gives us what we don’t deserve but because we belong to Jesus we are blessed in His abundant love.It is only by grace that we can enjoy the family of God because it is through God’s grace how we entered it.

                God is gracious throughout the Bible- to Moses, to King Hezekiah (2 Chron.30:9) and Ezra  (9;8) and Nehemiah.(9:17,31) Paul focused on God’s grace stating, He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Rom.8:32 God, in his grace, gave us Jesus the best he had and so what would keep Him from giving us the lesser gifts that we need? God longs to be gracious and show his compassion but we don’t often pay attention!

                God lifts his countenance to us and gives us peace. What does this mean? God’s focus is turned toward us if we follow him. Our responsibility is to repent, confess our sins and seek His face. We need to have God pleased with what we do. The last words of Jesus are not the Great Commission but repent or else (Rev. 2-3) If we humble ourselves and pray ans eek my face and turn from their wicked way then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2Chron.7:14)

                But what is God’s smile? It is the secret of peace in the heart of the individual believer and in the church congregation. It is what we each as individuals and as church should be yearning to  have. It is shalom—which includes health , happiness, satisfaction and completion, kindness, agreement, salvation, friendship and the richness of a full life. If we are not experiencing this shalom, we need to humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face as it turns from its wicked ways.  For then, God’s light will shine upon us.

REFLECTION:
Are you shining God’s light wherever you go? Are you enabling God to smile as you go about your everyday work and life? How does this blessing of the OT enable you to think and reflect upon your relationship with God and with others?

PRAYER Bless us O God as we seek your smiling face upon our lives. Hear us as we confess our sins to you and by your grace we pray that your will forgive. Hear these our prayers. Amen.

Next Week: “The Benediction of the Trinity”  2 Corinthians 13:14

RESOURCE:

Warren W. Wiersbe.  Bless You: Receiving and Sharing the Blessings of the Lord. Grand Rapids, MI: Our Daily Bread Ministries, 8^th printing- 2018. (p.24-27)