Make Me A Blessing

The word “Selah” here means, “Think about this!” That is exactly what we want to do, think about what the Psalmist said. EVERY DAY GOD LOADS US DOWN WITH HIS BLESSINGS! I mean every day!

WHY DOES GOD DO THIS? Everything He does has a reason! God loads us down with His blessings for two reasons:

(1) Because He loves us!

(2) Because He wants us to RECEIVE HIS BLESSING AND THEN BE A BLESSING!

As we make our way through life, we want to receive the blessings of God in our life, but also we want to be a blessing to others.

Illus: There is a song that we sing, by George S. Schuler, called, “MAKE ME A BLESSING!” The chorus to that great song goes like this: “Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing, Out of my life may Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray, make me a blessing To someone today.”

When it comes to blessings, we sing another song that tells us to, COUNT OUR MANY BLESSINGS AND NAME THEM ONE BY ONE.

Every day, He loads us down with His blessings! We are a blessed people!

Illus: Someone said:

• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the six million who will not survive this week.

• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

• If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

The problem we have when it comes to blessings is that what we have in mind is different than what God has in mind!

Illus: A minister was addressing a group of men. He took a large piece of paper and made a black dot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw.

• One person quickly replied, “I see a black dot in the center of the page.”

• The preacher replied. “What else do you see?”

• Complete silence prevailed. “Don’t you see anything other than the black dot?”

• A chorus of “no’s” came from the audience. “I’m really surprised.”

• The speaker then commented, “You have completely overlooked the most important thing of all — the sheet of paper the black dot is on.”

Like the sheet of paper, the good things God has blessed us with are far more important than those things that capture our attention.

I want to say again, most of us, as we work our way through life, truly want God to bless us and to be a blessing! What does it mean to be a blessing? To be a blessing we must -

I. RECOGNIZE WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED

God wants to bless us so we can bless others! But you can not be a blessing to others until you recognize that you have been blessed with something you have to give.

Illus: If I had five dollars in my pocket but did not know I had five dollars, I could not help someone who was starving for a meal. It is only when I recognize that I have something to give that I have something to share!

We Americans are a blessed people, because while some nations are trying to put up fences to keep the people in, we have to put up fences to keep them out.

The world, in which we live, RECOGNIZES we in America are a blessed people. And one of their greatest desires would be to come and live in this great land in which we are blessed to live.

WHY HAS GOD SO BLESSED US? God wants to BLESS US so we can BLESS OTHERS!

I know people have different ideas about the Iraq war. Some are for it and others are against it. I respect those who are against it, but I sincerely believe they are wrong.

I have a feeling that if some that are living today were living in the Old Testament times, they would have been against it when God sent Israel off to war.

No one in their right mind enjoys war, but wars are a necessity at times. For example, the Amlekites were very evil and God blessed Israel with the military power to go in and completely destroy them.