ARE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY RECEIVING GOD’S BLESSINGS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Now be pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue
forever in Your sight; for You, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with
Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
(2 Samuel 7:29)

MEDITATION:
Receiving God’s blessings is something that many Christians struggle with.
Some wonder why they don’t ‘feel’ He is blessing them; however, they may
not be doing anything to show that He is Lord of their lives. They may attend
church more than the CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) crowd, but they are
not fully committed to worshipping Him on a regular basis.

They may give some amount of offering, but have not committed to obeying
His command to return at least a tenth of what they have earned.
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob,
are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you
have turned away from My decrees and have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob
God? Yet you rob Me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing You?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – your whole nation,
because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,
that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the Lord
Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven
and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to
store it.
(Malachi 3:6-10)

Some may use their spiritual gift occasionally, but lack a commitment
to look for opportunities to use it often. When we receive salvation
from the Lord, He blesses us with a spiritual gift tailored especially
for us and our capabilities. We are given this gift so we can become
an active servant of the Lord.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received
to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its
various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one
who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they
should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all
things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him
be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
(1 Peter 4:10-11)

The family is the most important unit of society and for it to flourish,
it needs to have God’s blessings. Without God’s presence, we might
experience problems within the family which can overwhelm us and
cause us to have a feeling of hopelessness. But when we fellowship
with Him, we have a strong foundation that helps us when problems
arise.

Our children may not say much about it, but they are observant of
the level of our faith, and how much we are committed to the Lord.
For instance, if we seldom, or never go to church, we shouldn’t be
surprised if our children follow our example.

We have a responsibility as parents to leave no doubt for our children
that our faith and commitment to God is sincere. Without the influence
of the Lord through us, the church, and other believers, our children can
become prey for the evil one. They can be even more susceptible to the
sinful attractions of the world.

There are times when medical conditions prevent us from being
in God’s house each week, but when we can attend, some create
all kinds of reasons (excuses) for not following God’s command
to meet with other believers, such as:
“I work hard all week, and I need the worship time to do what I want to do”.
“I read the Bible and watch preaching on television, that’s all I need”.
“Maybe I should be in church, but the things I do instead are not sinful”.
“I don’t like the way the worship service is conducted”.
“I don’t like the way the pastor presents the message”.
“I don’t like the type of music they sing”.
“Someone said some unkind words to me and I’m not going back”.
“I don’t know anyone at the church”.
“I don’t have anything to wear”.
“My parents didn’t go to church and I turned out okay”.

These are just a few of the justifications for being selfish with our time.
We want to do what we want to do when we want to do them, and we
can find many reasons for doing them; however, sometimes it means
we fail to honor the commands God has given to those who belong to
Him. Selfishness may be a reason why we fail to sense God’s blessings.

The family and the home is an environment where God’s biblical standards
can be seen. The Bible calls for discipline and a recognition of authority.
When these things are learned at home, there is a greater chance of living
a life that has respect for structured law and authority.

There is always the exceptional child, but the averages tell us that a child
is largely what the home has made him or her. The best thing we can do is
give the Lord His rightful place in the home, and to assure our children
that worship, praise, and obedience to God are our top priorities.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
– Do I feel as though I am missing out on God’s blessings in my home?
If so, what do I plan to do about it?
– What am I allowing to steal God’s time and His priority in my life?
– Do I feel that I have let my children down by being too selfish
and moving God to a place other than first in my life?

We shouldn’t think that because our children are older, it is too late for
us to show them the importance of the Lord to us. Most children want
to identify with a solid foundation in their parents, and would probably
be glad to know we have a close fellowship with the Lord.

It can be an encouragement to them and assure them that when God is first,
they can cope with whatever challenges come their way. Why? Because they
have seen how we relied on the Lord in the worst of times and praised Him
in the best of times. They can see our ‘connection’ and fellowship with the
Lord.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I am so sorry for putting other things ahead
of showing You proper respect and worshipping You as I should.
I admit that my selfishness has caused me to put other things
ahead of You and Your commands. I want to enjoy Your blessings
and one of the greatest blessings I could receive is to see my children
dedicated to worshipping and serving You. Please forgive me for my
past mistakes, and convict me of the changes I need to make in order
to eliminate my selfishness, and make my relationship with You the
number one priority in my life. I want my life to point my children
(and others) to You. Help me to live a little more like Jesus each day.”

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