Bless Me~

And finally we can say...TGIF:)

We know by now that Jabez cried out and the first thing he asked for was, "Oh, that you would bless me..."

BLESS ME!!!

What does this beautiful verb mean?

As always, the fine folks at dictionary.com have great, multiple definitions.

1. to make or pronounce holy.

2. to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on: Bless this house.

3. to bestow good of any kind upon: a nation blessed with peace.

4. to protect or guard from evil (usually used interjectionally): Bless you! Bless your innocent little heart!

I'll take all four, but first things first. God has the means and the power to make us holy, which means He call us unto Himself and helps us live the Christian lifestyle.

In essence, the very first thing Jabez cried out for was help to make him a better man. The Christian lifestyle is NOT characterized by perfection or trying to be perfect, but rather by a daily dependence on God through prayer whereby we admit that without His help we are not going to make it. We need Him to help us with our emotional stability and with our work ethic. We need His help to maximize our ability to love and love well. We need His help to walk in kindness, patience, forgiveness, gentleness, peace, and self-control.

Jabez was wise to acknowledge God as the source of blessing in his life, and we should too. It's easy to see how if each of us ask for God's blessing, those around us will automatically be blessed as well.

One day at work I had a particularly rough day when someone said something to me extremely offensive. Jesus Himself would have understood if I would have retaliated with judo chop to the neck. But then again, Jesus is the biggest source and provider of blessing in my life, so I backed down. Instead, I calmly (Evidence number one that God helps us make better decisions) stood up and said in the most regal of tones, "I give thee the gift of my immediate forgiveness." (Evidence number two that God helps us make better decisions and that sometimes He likes it when we speak with a British accent). I gathered my things, because the only recourse after this highly dramatic event was to leave for the day. Before I even got to the car, this person called me and profusely apologized. (Evidence number three that God helps us make better decisions and that when He blesses us with the ability to have the right response others are motivated to respond in a right manner as well).

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Bless us today; make us holy. Pour out Your spirit on us so we, our children and everyone we come in contact can live rightly. When we live according to Your ways, we make wise decisions that lead to life. In Jesus' name, AMEN~