Saturday, March 15, 2014

“Reflect upon your present blessings -- of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”


“The Lord bestows his blessings there, where he finds the vessels empty.” ― Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Scripture Text: (DT 26:16-19)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the LORD, your God,
commands you to observe these statutes and decrees.
Be careful, then,
to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:
he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways
and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,
and to hearken to his voice.
And today the LORD is making this agreement with you:
you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you;
and provided you keep all his commandments,
he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory
above all other nations he has made,
and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God,
as he promised.”

What does it mean to be blessed? According to the dictionary, it means to be “divinely or supremely favored.” According to popular culture, you are blessed if you have lots of possessions or are in good health. But God sees blessing differently. While he does care about our physical lives, his blessings are more spiritual than material. He blesses us with his presence. He blesses us with divine wisdom and knowledge. He blesses us with peace, even in the midst of the most turbulent of circumstances. And more than anything else, he blesses us with his love.

Today is a good day to think about all the ways that God continues to bless us. He shows us his peace and presence when we turn to him in the midst of a difficult situation. He helps us find the strength to forgive someone who has hurt us. He prompts our consciences so that we know to turn away from a temptation—and he gives us the grace to do so! All these, and so many more, are clear blessings from the Lord!

All you have to do is try to remain open to him, and the blessings will flow.


Lord, how generous you are!

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