THE BLESSED HEART (1)

“Keep your HEART with all diligence, for out of it spring the ISSUES of LIFE” – Proverbs 4:23

The genesis of the Blessed Life is the BLESSED HEART: “Keep your HEART with all diligence, for out of it spring the ISSUES of LIFE” (Pro.4:23). By the help of the Holy Spirit, we invested the first half of this Year of Hearts, Hands, and the Blessed Life, meditating on HEARTS: The revelation and attributes of God’s Heart; value, functions, and traits of the human heart; praying God’s heart; heart-meditations in the Psalms; Victory in the heart; Heart transformation and spiritual heart check-up; and dominion over fiery darts that try to assail our hearts. It’s time to cap-up these Gems of Revelation under the caption of The Blessed Heart.

The words blessed and blessings are frequently used among Believers. “Blessed” is a biblical, Christian, and spiritual word. However, it seems to have been hijacked by popular culture. “Bless you,” “God bless you,” “You’re blessed,” and “Have a blessed day” are common greetings. It’s trendy even among unbelievers to describe themselves as “blessed,” usually in relation to success, health, family, wealth, good fortune, exceptional comfort, or a job. The common understanding of being blessed by God is that He gives us good things, in which case, His blessing is universal: “for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mt.5:44-45). However, God’s blessings are not limited to material things! Though these are included, thinking of His blessing as mainly material things severely limits our understanding of what is in God’s Heart for Believers.

The word blessed as used by Jesus in the Sermon of the Mount is from the Greek word makarios, meaning: to be happy or blissful; a self-contained happiness that’s independent of circumstances. Regardless of what is happening to us externally, we can be happy or fulfilled, internally. God has been blessing from the beginning: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…” (Gen.1:28a). Later, God told Abraham: “I will make you a great nation; I will BLESS you and make your name great; and you shall be a BLESSING. I will BLESS those who bless you; and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be BLESSED” (Gen.12:2-3). One might think being blessed here means something material.

Galatians 3:13-14 explains the Blessings of Abraham: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” These verses explain both HOW we can be blessed and WHAT the blessing of God is.

How? We are blessed through Faith in Christ. As fallen sinners, we deserved nothing but judgment and curse. Our good works or behaviour can never make us “blessable.” But Jesus became a curse on our behalf. On the cross, He bore the curse that was upon humanity and died in our place. Because of His redemptive work on the cross, we cursed sinners could now receive God’s blessing!

What? The Blessing of God in Christ transcends material things to include “the promise of the Spirit”! In Him, we receive not only the blessing of forgiveness, washing, and cleansing, but the perpetual Presence of God Himself through His Indwelling Life-giving Spirit!

The physical aspect of Abraham’s Blessing, the good land (Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 26:3-4), is a type of the all-inclusive Life in Christ. Pursuing Christlikeness, we’re blessed with Christ’s Heart, and access to full Supply of His Life in all situations! If we mainly pursue material things, spend precious time praying for them, but end up not getting them, we’ll wonder whether we’re blessed. Meanwhile, we might have missed enjoying the fuller, authentic Blessing! We should be thankful for material things, but we’re truly blessed when we experience Christ as our Life, Love, Light, Sanctification, Wisdom, Peace, Joy, and diverse dimensions of His Heart.