Living The Blessed Life: The Blessed In The Midst of Others

 

The Blessed Amongst Others 

Isaiah 61:9

'And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed."

God gave Isaiah this understanding that once the Spirit of God comes on him, he shall liberate the people from oppression and they (the people) shall be blessed and other people around them shall see the glory. The blessings of the Lord can be so obvious to the extent that it cannot be hidden. The way people will perceive the blessed of the Lord can vary depending on the way the blessing have changed life of their lives in comparison with the former ways of living on the one hand on the other hand compared to the general lifestyle of the people around the blessed. Generally, when people know a person, they will create an impression of what they expect from the person based on what they can see and what they perceive as reality. They will tend to want to make that person stay within their preconceived 'boundaries'. God always will bless a person for His own purpose which may not be known by all. If the blessing is serving any purpose other than the purpose God has in mind, purpose will be defeated and it will be as good as casting pearls before swines.

'And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles..."

The 'seed' of the blessed of the Lord shall be known. It will be difficult to hide the blessing. Just as you cannot hide light in the midst of darkness, the same way the blessed of the Lord cannot hide the blessing. 

"...all that see them shall acknowledge them,.."

There is no way to completely hide what God has done. People will acknowledge the light. They will know about it, it will take their attention to the person who is blessed. It is God that will receive the glory at the end of the day. It should not end with the blessed, it should end rather on the God of the blessing. It is wisdom to make eyes to set on Him. He is the source that never runs dry.

"...they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed."

It is God that blessed them and not they themselves. Because the blessed cannot completely hide the blessing, they will be treated differently by others who can see the light of the blessing. Some will admire and celebrate the blessed, others might be filled with jealousy and act unbecomingly while others who are also blessed will welcome them into the fold of the family of the blessed. Because of the mixed multitude and mixed reactions, the blessed of the Lord need wisdom on how to be in the midst of the mixed multitude. A look at the mixed multitudes will be a helpful guide on what to do at any point in time.

In The Midst of Enemies 

Psalms 23:1,5

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want...

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."

It will be a mistake to say that God will completely take a person away from enemies. God will want attention to be on Him. In this way, He will bring about a change in the lives of those who are far away from Him. The blessing is more like a sign post pointing to God. That is why God will not be in a hurry to take the blessed away from enemies though sometimes He will do that. It is only when enemies are seriously persecuting the blessed to the point of making life become a living hell that He may take them away to safety. First, it must be clear that the Lord is the gaver of the blessing.

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want..."

For giving the blessing, the Lord will see to it that the blessed are shepherded well. It will be a mistake for the blessed to keep the Lord aside and go away with the blessing. He knows what comes next. He knows what could happen and what next to be done. The focus is the Lord and not the blessing. The focus is the Lord and not the blessed. The focus is the Lord and not the enemies. The blessed need to be led by their shepherd in the midst of enemies. The enemies could attack at any time. The enemies could misunderstand the meaning and purpose of the blessing. To depend on the Lord is wisdom. Depending on the blessing is foolishness.

Genesis 13:10

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar."

There was a time Lot was with his uncle Abraham. Because the Lord blessed Abraham, Lot was equally blessed. The blessing overflowed and as they both became blessed, conflict arose as a result of the blessing. The servants of both Abraham and Lot began to fight. Abraham and Lot both agreed to part ways to avoid further conflicts. Lot was given the option to choose where to go. The idea was that if Lot chooses to go to the left, Abraham will choose the other way i.e to the right. What Lot should have done was to first ask the Lord which direction to go but instead, he did chose to go where he will get greener pasture by the observation of his eyes.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom ..."

Making choices just by observing what the eyes can see can be a great mistake. Sometimes rich people can be in a hurry to display their riches by making unnecessary expenses. What may appear green to the naked eyes may be red in the eyes of the Lord. Lot should have been led by the one who can see things clearly as they ought to be seen. The perceived greener pasture ended up to be a trap for him. He ended in Sodom the place where God has to later destroy because of their corruption. Sodom was so corrupt that the children of Lot learned evil ways. Pervertion and carefree living was the common thing in Sodom.

When God wanted to judge Sodom, God had mercy on Lot and allowed him and his family to escape from the judgement. While running away from the judgement, Lot 's wife disobeyed the rule that kept them safe and she could not reach the final destination of escape. Her heart was in Sodom and Sodom was in her heart.

Perseverance In The Midst of Opposition 

Sometimes, the blessed can be opposed as a result of jealousy and at other times, as a result of covetousness. No matter the reason for the opposition, the blessed must learn to persevere. 

Genesis 26:18-22

"And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

Isaac dig again the well his father Abraham dug because the Philistines covered the well. To dig a well during the days of Abraham and Isaac is a sign of the blessing. The Philistines could not comprehend the blessing of God on Abraham and his family. They fought it. After Isaac dug again the well, he dug yet again a new well. The first set of wells were those dug when Abraham was alive.

"And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them ..."

He was persistent. Isaac's men went ahead to dig a new well. 

"...And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours:.."

The herdsmen of Gerar were covetous and claimed the well for themselves. This is what the blessed can face. But Isaac did not relent

"And they digged another well, and strove for that also: ..."

It was like the herdsmen of Gerar were waiting for Isaac to take the initiative so that they can strike. The men of Gerar did it again and claimed the well for themselves. 

"...And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: ..."

Finally, they did not claim the last well probably because he changed location. There was no strive with Isaac. He could see that God was able to stop the opposition.

The blessing will attract opposition and the blessed will be wise not to strive. The opposition will be stopped if the blessed persevere. 

You will find yourself in the midst of all kinds of people who will react because of the blessing in many different ways. While it is not forced on you to behave in any particular way, wisdom is profitable to direct. 

1 Timothy 6:17

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;"

God the giver of all good things will expect the rich, to stay within reach of His grace. Highmindedness and trust in uncertain wealth can make those blessed not to enjoy the blessing provided by God. Look at this man Joses and how he gave to the wellbeing of others:

Acts 4:36-37

"And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet."

Joses brought all the money of which he sold the landed property and brought it for the general use. He was not under compulsion, he gave willingly. Look at yet another example Ananias and Sapphira who gave but did so deceptively. They gave as though they were forced to give. This is a wrong attitude. Had they chosen not to give, no one would have forced them to give.

Acts 5:1-3

"But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?"

As a blessed man or woman, be considerate of others and let them see that God is good though your kindness. The poor will always be with us no matter how hard we work to make others blessed.

Mark 14:7

"For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always."

What we are to learn is that God is good to us and for reasons we may not be fully aware of, some nay not be as blessed. They will see the goodness of God through us the blessed. 

Enemies may oppose, the poor may need our help, friends may want us to join with them and many more set of people will demand all kinds of things. What to remember is that God is the giver of the blessing. He will demand from us to stay focused within the reach of His grace.

As the blessed of the Lord, you will be noticed by all kinds of people. Remember the giver of the blessing and follow His way.

Pray:

Father, I thank You for Your blessings to me. As I grow in Your favour and blessing, teach me to be faithful to You. Where ever I may find myself, give me the wisdom to handle affairs in such a way that at the end, You will receive the glory.

I pray in Jesus name. Amen!