Blessed to be a Blessing - Turning Point devotion

This devotion goes right along with learning to be content. I hope it moves you as it did me.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2

The Hebrew word for "blessed" can also be translated "happy," as in, "Happy is the man who . . . ." "Happy" in biblical days meant "content" or "satisfied" more than our modern understanding of happiness. Today, Christians sometimes act like God's blessings are primarily to make us happy. The truth is that we have been blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others.

When God called Abraham from Mesopotamia to begin a new life in Canaan, He set the standard for the meaning of blessing. He told Abraham that he would be blessed—no doubt about that. But He also said, "And you shall be a blessing." Abraham and His descendants were going to be blessed by God so they could become a channel of blessing to the world—and indeed they were as the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was born as a descendant of Abraham. Sometimes when we grow discouraged (unhappy) with the life God has given us, we need to remember that there is blessing in being a blessing to others. Happiness and joy come in this life when we share God's blessings with others.

Look for someone this week who needs God's blessing—and then become that blessing for them.

It is dangerously easy to fix our hearts on the blessing rather than the Blesser. Ronald Dunn