Our world from the beginning was blessed by God. Our choices led to the world being cursed by sin and death instead of being blessed. But God in his gracious mercy has offered the ultimate blessing for humanity. That Blessing came in human form as Jesus, the Son of God. Our Christmas blessing was sent as Acts 3: 26 says,
"To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Our Christmas Blessing
Jesus was sent to us from God to bless us. And how does He bless us? By turning us away from our iniquities, our sin. Jesus removes the curse and offers us eternal life with Him. Jesus gives us the spiritual blessings of salvation, forgiveness, peace, joy and eternal life. In return the Bible repeatedly tells us to bless God through our adoration, worship and praise of Him (Psalm 66:8; 68:26; 104:1).
In Matthew 5, in the Beatitudes, Jesus refers to those who are considered blessed. They include those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who long for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted. Our true desire should be to be numbered among those whom the Lord has specifically named as blessed.
We Are To Bless Others
As Jesus has blessed us, we as Christians are to bless others as well. In Matthew 5: 44 our Lord says to bless those who curse you. This is repeated in Luke 6: 28. Paul tells us in Romans 12: 14 to bless those who persecute you. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul says in I Corinthians 4:12 that being reviled, we bless.
What Does Blessing Really Mean?
In today's world we have cheapened the word blessing. We think of it often as just someone's desire that we have good luck. The Greek meaning of blessing meant to favor someone. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was called blessed among women and highly favored. We are blessed by God, blessed by His favor, not because of our circumstances but because He has satisfied our soul and fulfilled us in a way that possessions cannot.
Where Does Our Blessedness Come From?
We are blessed when our souls reside in Christ. Blessedness comes from fellowship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus. To know Christ is to be blessed, to be favored. We are to share this undeserved blessing with those around us.
The birth of Christ showed God's truthfulness that He would send a Messiah, that God, through His Son, revealed truth and light to the world and that Jesus is with us as we fight against sin. These blessings that we have received don't stop with us, they flow through us out to a dying world to show the light of Christ to those in darkness.
May the blessings of Christ and the peace of Christ be yours this Christmas and always.
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