NEW LIFE: I Am Blessed
(Download this study here.)
By: Peter Bales
No. 17, February 18th, 2024
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV). What does this mean for us? We are blessed!
Blessing describes the favor, grace, gifts and other “good stuff” that we enjoy from God. Let’s look at an old story to see some ways that God blesses his people.
READ Genesis 26:1-5.
- What were the conditions that Isaac was living in? What does God tell him to do?
Let’s keep reading to see what happens. Read Genesis 26:12-33.
So Isaac plants seed in the middle of a famine and gets back 100x! Things are going great! Except that now his neighbors are envious and force him to move away. In fact, Isaac had to move a couple more times and ended up in the land of his father Abraham where he re-opened his father’s wells and found water!
- How was Isaac blessed throughout this story?
- How would you act if you had the same things happen to you?
In this story we see God blessing his people in ways that help us understand how God works. First, we see that blessing is connected to covenant. God promises to bless Issac and he remembers the covenant he made with Isaac’s father Abraham. We are under a covenant as well—the New Covenant in Jesus. Here’s what Hebrews 8:6 says about our covenant: “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (NIV).
- Like Isaac, we are in a covenant with God. How is our covenant different and better than those in the past?
We also see that the blessings are connected to faith. In order to reap the hundred-fold harvest, Isaac had to plant seed in the midst of a famine. That takes faith and risk! Sometimes we must step out in faith before we enjoy the blessings.
Hebrews 11:1 says, ”Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Another definition includes that “faith almost always implies certainty even where there is a lack of evidence or proof.” We are people of faith. By definition we will have to act on things that may not have proof or seem uncertain. We are living according to the Spirit and we might start to look weird to those in the world. Some people expect God to just drop blessings in their lap, but many times we must take a step of faith in order to receive or see the blessings!
- What are ways that you’ve seen this in your life?
- What helps us maintain a life of faith?
Finally, blessing is connected to discernment. This is the wisdom from God to act and live according to his ways. Discernment comes from living out of our identity in God. Notice in the story that Isaac was moving back to the land of his father and reopening his well. The wells were not just a place of provision, but they were also a place of identity—remembering the covenant that God made with his family. The name of that place, Beersheba, can mean “well of the oath.” It’s a place of covenant identity. Living from this understanding is what leads to blessings!
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget our identity. James 1:22-25:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do (James 1:22).
- What does James say that we need to do? What does that actually mean for us?
- How does doing that make us “blessed in what they do?”
The blessings of God can be found as we live in relationship with him as covenant partners. We take courageous actions in faith, relying on his discernment to help us know how to act and live according to our true identity that is found in him. We may not even get it “right” but God blesses us anyway because we are his children. We are blessed in our identity.
- What is the craziest step of faith you’ve ever taken? How did it work out? What did you learn from it?
GOING DEEPER> Read Matthew 14:22-33. Imagine yourself in Peter’s shoes. What can we learn from this story and what Jesus says? What is he saying to you today?