Devotional - May 23, 2004

When Jesus spoke these things, he was addressing the disciples who were extremely uncomfortable with Him washing their feet. When he finished, Jesus then told them they should learn from what he did and minister to each other in a similar way. If they would, then they would also know God's blessing.

David knew something about God's blessing. In Psalm 119, we have the longest chapter in the Bible. David begins with the word, "Blessed" and for twenty-two stanzas, each starting with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, he talks about the blessing of God's word.

Jesus said the disciples would be blessed if they ministered to one another and David suggests the word of God itself is the source of blessing to God's children. Blessing is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts in Scripture. How do you know when you have it and when you don't?

Amazingly, most Christians equate wealth, easy living and good health to blessing while their lack of wealth , hard time and sickness reflect the absence of blessing. Truthfully, everything we receive from God is good when it's received with thanksgiving. (1Th 5:18) But, how do you thank God for something that's "bad?" Enter the often overlooked benefit of God's blessing called "approval."

In Romans 8, Scripture says God works through ALL things for the good of those who love him. (Vs. 28) You may not know this, but one reason God gives his children trouble is so the world can see how we deal with it. We should thank God when He has enough faith in us to give us trouble.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( 2Sa. 2:12-3:39 Jn. 13:m 1-30 Ps. 119:1-16 Pr. 15:29-30 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society