How Does God Bless Us?

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other. (Ecc 7:14)

How does God bless us?

Is it in the pleasures that He gives?

Partly.

Is it in the suffering that He gives?

Partly.

Suffering has potential blessings in it, but it can be wasted. The Bible promises in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good, and lots of people who don't even read the Bible know that part of the verse. But somehow they tend to miss what the rest of the verse says. "For all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." The promise has conditions and limitations. And that means that, for some people, the suffering is wasted.

What are some examples of people wasting their sufferings? In Isaiah there are many instances of the Lord sending judgment on His people for turning away from Him and pursuing evil. He wants them to repent, but they will not. God continues to send His judgment because, "The people do not turn to Him who strikes them, nor do they seek the LORD of hosts."

"But wait," you protest. "That's only natural! Who goes toward someone who strikes them?" Think about children, though, who have undergone wise, loving (but unpleasant) parental discipline in an attempt to turn them from evil. Some children rebel against that discipline, but some recognize the love and wisdom behind it, and they repent. God's people can respond in the same way. "Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight." (Hos 6:1-2)

Pleasure has potential blessings in it, but it can be wasted, too. Jesus said, "He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt 5:45). He also said, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mar 8:36) So God sends the blessing of sunshine and rain on everyone, but for some it is really a waste. There is no eternal profit for the one whose soul is lost. Solomon said, "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun." (Ecc 2:10-11)

So how is it that some will benefit, and some will not? The key lies in Romans 8:28 that was quoted above. It's far beyond the scope of this little blog to address the great issues of election and predestination that are stated in the phrase, "Who are called." But the previous phrase is one that lets us scratch its surface a little today. It says, "For those who love God."

Why is loving God so vital? It is for one simple yet profound reason. The only eternal benefit we receive from God's blessings is God Himself. The one who loves God will receive pleasure from His hand and will rejoice, not only in the pleasure itself, but in the wonderful God who gave it. He will receive suffering from His hand and will grieve and mourn, and yet will be able to rejoice in the end because of the wonderful God who gave it and made it work for good. God offers Himself in His gifts. Some will snatch the gifts and ignore the Giver. Or, if the gift came wrapped in a package of suffering, they will fight against it and shake their fists at the giver. But the person who loves Him will receive Him, first for salvation, and then for more and more intimacy through both the pleasures and pains of life.

And none of those will be wasted on him.



(Photo from Stock.xchng by TheSaint)