Blocking Your Blessing (Part 6)

Blocking Your Blessing (Part 6)

Mark 12:41 "Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.  Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” 

When you make the decision to serve God, you’re actually making a decision to serve others as well. Serving and loving others is a part of serving our Father. The apostle Paul explains that we’re called to be free, but that we are to use our freedom to serve one another humbly in love, not to indulge the flesh in Galatians 5:13. Solomon warned that too much of something, especially the wrong thing, can be wearisome to the flesh in Ecclesiastes 12:12.  

Serving and giving to the church and others is, unfortunately, an area that can be easily faked. A self-professing Christian can give large sums of money to the church, yet have no love of God in them. This was the case with the Pharisees, whom Jesus called “hypocrites.” They looked as if they led obedient lives, but inside they were greedy and self-indulgent.   When we search Scripture, we find one of the most important illustrations was one of the smallest contributions ever blessed by the word of Jesus.
 

It may be easy to sit in the pew every Sunday, write out a check and feel that everything is good with God, but that’s false security. It’s no small challenge to give in a way that pleases God. People who love God give in a way that delights Him.  The Word of God is alive and powerful, exposing our innermost thoughts and desires according Hebrews 4:12). We should want to give freely, serve freely and be happy to do so, because of our love for God. 2 Corinthians 9:7 declares that "God loves a cheerful giver." 

If you saturate your mind in Scripture you will discover it is alive and breathing. It holds the answers to your questions in life. It supplies the instructions for clean living. Love the unloved, the hard to love, and the unlovable. Remember, it is pleasing to God when you meditate on His Word and then act upon it. This is what it means to truly live a freeing life and be a blessing rather than a blocker of blessings!