Called to Inherit and Bestow Blessings

God is a God of blessing. He delights to bless. He has undertaken—at the price of his Son's life—the greatest undertaking of the cosmos: the commitment to bless this sorry and sinful world through the seed of Abraham. And he will see to it that his word concerning blessing is confirmed and fulfilled!

Thoughout the whole of Scripture, we see the prominence of blessing. God blesses men. (Read the Pentateuch.) Men bless men. (Read the Pentateuch again.) Men bless God. (Read the Psalms.) God blesses his peole that his people might be a blessing that the world might bless God (Ps. 67:1-7).  The Lord Jesus gave his disciples the beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12), blissful blessings for those who follow him faithfully. And we're commanded to bless and curse not (Lk. 6:28; Rom. 12:14). For we were called for the express purpose that we might inherit a blessing (1 Pet. 3:9). We are a people of blessing.

So it is good and right, then, not least in order to imitate our heavenly Father, to bless our children who grow up under our care, to bless one another, and to bless those who curse us. In my house, I bless my little girl, Ariana, mainly as she goes to bed. But I'm also routinely blessing her (and her mother) along the way.

Here are just a few of the blessings of Scripture I have memorized or am memorizing for planned and spontaneous use as I seek to be a man and means of blessing to my household and to others:

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
  the LORD make his face to shine upon you
                    and be gracious to you;
  the LORD lift up his countenance upon you
                    and give you peace" (Num. 6:24-26).

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13).

"May the God of peace be with you all. Amen" (Rom. 15:33).

"The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you" (Rom. 16:20).

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you" (2 Thess. 3:16).

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jd. 24-25).

I merely scratch the surface. There are blessings literally strewn everywhere in Scripture. So let us lay them up and bless our homes, bless one another, and be a blessing to the world.

We are blessed! Blessed be his holy name! And blessed be those who seek his face, who seek the face of the God of Jacob, who seek the blessing of the world, seeking that blessing on mission with the God of all blessing.