Did you bless the Lord? (Part 5)
Verse of the day: Matthew 3:17 “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Every parent will tell you that he equally loves all his children but in reality there is a child that blesses him more than others. All his children are loved but in the parent’s heart there is a hidden voice that says: “this is my son (daughter), whom I love”. Generally, a child who pleases his parent is the one who obeys the most. No matter how beautiful or lovely the child may be, as long as he (she) is not obedient, he (she) cannot bless his (her) parents.
God also feels the same regarding His children; He is always blessed by those who obey Him more than those who only worship or serve Him. Someone can spend more time in praise and worship without obeying the Lord. All you can do in order to please the Lord is useless as long as you don’t obey His word. The bible clearly says that obedience is better than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22).
The verse of the day (Matt 3:17) shows us how Jesus blessed the heart of God. Right after being baptized by John the Baptist, a voice came out of heavens to say: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”. God had much affection for Jesus because of His total obedience. Of course God has affection for us because of Jesus but we cannot pretend to bless Him in persevering in disobedience. All the qualities you may have to God’s eyes should come after obedience. A Christian who always blesses the Lord is the one who only wants to bless Him and nothing else than blessing Him. It’s the one who wakes up in the morning and tells God: “I’m totally available for you”.
When God gives or reveals His position, He wants an instant execution with no discussion or reasoning. He wants us to react like Abraham whom He asked to sacrifice his unique son he loved the most while the promise had said that He would make a great nation through Him (Genesis 21:12). Abraham could discuss with God in asking him: “How can you ask me to sacrifice my unique son while you told me that you will make a great nation through him?”
But Abraham feared God and more, he totally trusted Him. He deeply knew that God cannot say something without thinking about it. Hard times are also an opportunity to bless the Lord in manifesting our trust despite of the terrible situation. Trust seriously touches the heart of God.
In the sixth part, I will conclude in talking about the condition to be blessed by the Lord
Chris Ndikumana
