Living A Blessed Life
Living a Blessed Life: Understanding God's Promises and Our Trust
God speaks about money over 2,000 times in the Bible—more than four times as often as He speaks about love. This isn't coincidental. The Bible tells us that "the love of money is the root of all evils" because our attachment to money can destroy the blessings in our lives, from our health to our relationships.
What Does Jesus Say About Living Abundantly?
In John 10:7-10, Jesus describes Himself as "the door for the sheep." He warns that those who came before Him were "thieves and robbers," but the true sheep don't listen to them. Jesus declares, "I am the door. Anyone who enters in through me will be saved, will live."
Salvation is much more than just securing a place in heaven—it's about living a blessed, wonderful life in Jesus while we're still here on earth. Jesus explains that through Him, we can "come in and go out freely" and find pasture. Unlike the world's temporary pleasures that may taste good initially but ultimately make us sick, Jesus offers true nourishment.
The culmination of this passage comes in verse 10: "The thief comes only in order to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows."
What Are God's Promised Blessings in Deuteronomy?
In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, we find an extensive list of blessings God promises to those who "listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all his commandments."
These blessings include:
Being set high above all nations
Blessings in the city and in the field
Fruitfulness in body, ground, and livestock
Blessing in your basket and kneading trough
Blessing when you come in and go out
Victory over enemies
Blessing in your storehouse and all your undertakings
Establishment as a holy people
Prosperity and surplus
Access to God's "good treasury"
Being the lender, not the borrower
Being the head, not the tail
The key condition for these blessings is listening to God's voice and following His commandments. This isn't about earning God's favor through works, but about submission to His will.
Why Does God Say We Rob Him Through Tithes and Offerings?
In Malachi 3:8-12, God addresses a serious issue: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me." When the people ask how they've robbed God, He responds, "You have withheld your tithes and offerings."
God explains that they are "cursed with a curse" because of this robbery. But He also offers a solution: "Bring all the tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house, and prove me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive."
This is the only place in Scripture where God explicitly invites us to test Him. He promises not only to pour out blessings but also to "rebuke the devourer" on our behalf.
How Do We Open the Windows of Heaven?
The connection between Deuteronomy's blessings and Malachi's challenge about tithing is clear. God has placed everything we need on His side of the window. There's only one way to open that window—through faithful tithing and giving.
Many of us, especially as Americans, feel we can do whatever we want with our money and still expect God's blessings. But that's not what Scripture teaches. God says He will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings we don't have room to receive—but only when we're faithful with our tithes and offerings.
Why Do Trials Often Come When We Start Tithing?
It's a common experience: you decide to trust God with your finances, start tithing, and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Does this change what God promised? No, but it certainly affects how we believe it.
The trust factor becomes an issue because God didn't come through when, how, and in the way we wanted Him to. We expected immediate results, but God's timeline and methods often differ from ours.
When we try to follow God faithfully, we may face more opposition than before. As one pastor put it, "You never butt heads with somebody until you swim upstream." When you're floating with the current, you don't notice the resistance.
What's the Difference Between Faith and Trust?
Consider this illustration: Imagine a tightrope walker. You may have faith that the tightrope walker is skilled and can cross the rope. However, actually stepping onto the rope and trusting them to guide you across is a different matter entirely.
Faith is belief, acceptance, and head knowledge. Trust is reliance, action, and heart knowledge.
Think about Peter walking on water. He had enough faith to step out of the boat, but when a bigger wave came, he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. He had faith for the first step but struggled to trust through the changing circumstances.
How Do We Overcome Spiritual Anxiety About Trusting God?
Many of us want to trust God, but we develop a spiritual anxiety about what might happen if we do. We worry: "If I tithe, what's going to break next?" This anxiety can prevent us from experiencing the full blessings God has for us.
It's often easier to trust God when we have no other options—when our backs are against the wall. But what about trusting Him when things are going well? What about trusting Him with areas where we feel we have control?
The areas where we struggle to trust God are often the areas where we're not seeing His blessings flow. This doesn't mean that difficulties indicate a lack of trust—bad things happen to good people. But our reaction to difficulties reveals our level of trust.
Life Application
This week, I challenge you to identify the areas where you struggle to trust God fully. Is it your finances? Your health? Your relationships? Your career? Once you've identified these areas, take a concrete step toward trusting God in that area.
If it's finances, perhaps commit to tithing faithfully for the next three months, regardless of what happens. If it's health, maybe surrender your anxiety about a condition to God daily through prayer. Whatever your area of struggle, choose to trust God not just with your head but with your actions.
Ask yourself these questions:
Am I listening diligently to God's voice, or am I allowing other voices to drown Him out?
In what areas of my life am I merely having faith in God versus actively trusting Him?
How can I be a blessing to others this week in a way that points them to Jesus?
What "window" might God be waiting for me to open through my obedience?
Remember, Jesus didn't come just so we could go to heaven—He came so we could "have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows." Trust Him today, and watch how He transforms your life into a testimony of His goodness.
