To
have the blessing of God and the peace of God is a powerful thing that we
mostly take for granted and treat like a Hallmark card sentiment. At the end of our worship I say, “The
blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you and remain
with you always.” Liturgically I rarely
give it much thought but the reality is that those are truly powerful words if
they convey that blessing. The blessing
of God is for fruitful lives. When He
blesses it is always for fruitfulness, that the person or thing would bear the
fruit it was intended to bear. We ask
His blessing on our food that it would nourish our bodies. Jesus blessed the meager food He had when He
fed the multitudes and He blessed the bread and wine at the Last Supper. Aaron’s benediction is to reveal to the
people what it means to be God’s people.
Let us receive it with gratitude and humility but receive its power.
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from
him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” We have been entrusted much if we know Jesus
and confess Him as Savior and Lord.
Peter says that the Gospel includes “the things
that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to
you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to
look.” Jesus said, “many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and
did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” In the witness of the Holy Spirit then we
have been entrusted with things neither the angels nor the prophets of old had
known. We have also been blessed for
fruitfulness. What hinders the kingdom from advancing? We have a responsibility
for what we have been given.
Paul deals with a false prophet, one who opposes the Gospel
because of the power he currently possesses.
Luke tells us that Paul looked intently at the man and then pronounced
concerning his true nature, “son of the
devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy…” His sentence, blindness. Paul perhaps saw himself in this man and knew
what a bit of blindness could do for him.
Paul formerly opposed the Gospel and blindness for a few days did a good
bit for him when the Lord restored his sight.
We walk in power over the forces of darkness and evil, we should not
cower in fear or fail to fight the battle.
We have more power than they.
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