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“If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

– Galatians 3:29

At the beginning of the Old Testament, God gave a promise to a Mesopotamian nomad named Abraham, who happened to be in the middle of nowhere at the time. Though he had seen absolutely no evidence of it, the Lord made a covenant with His chosen ambassador that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and that they would be a blessing to all people on earth. Furthermore, Jehovah stated that He would bless those who blessed them and curse those who cursed them. Though in the original context this referred to the Isrealite nation, something interesting happened when Jesus came. Since He gave His life for all, those who had previously been excluded from the promises of God because they were not born Jewish became heirs of His abundant blessings and favor. That means that females, slaves, soldiers, Gentiles, barbarians, and others formerly on the “outside” were now welcomed as members of the Lord’s household, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto. Thankfully, this is still the case today; in fact, so much does our Heavenly Father treasure His children that He promises to favor those who favor them and implicate those who implicate them. In other words, He takes seriously both the rights and the wrongs done to His precious family, and that means that we should, too. 

My friend, as one who enjoys the honor of being an heir of the great promises of Almighty God through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, you have received the high call of blessing those whom He has blessed. Since you are an ambassador for His Kingdom, you can and should hold in high esteem every member of His household, no matter how different they are or how much they mess up or struggle. In fact, those stuck in sin’s sticky grip are most desperately in need of divine compassion, and that’s exactly why it’s important to honor them. Never curse what God has called blessed, regardless of how they look to you. While this doesn’t mean that you condone wrong behavior, because you have the eyes of Christ, you see beyond outward behavior to the beauty of the heart, and you take seriously the command to love others as your Savior has loved you. 

Prayer


Jesus, help me never to curse those whom you call blessed, and bring my heart into alignment with yours.

Reflection


Do you readily bless those whom the Lord has blessed?

 

If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.  

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