Encouragement

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You Are Blessed! (Luke 1:26-31)

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having coming in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women! But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus.”

Last week we looked at how the angel told Mary that the Lord was with her. He also told her that she was “blessed among women”. Among all the young women of her time, God chose her, little Mary from Galilee, to be the earthly mother of the Savior of the world. She was blessed to be chosen and she was blessed because God had been with her all along. She was blessed because she was highly favored and God had great plans for her life! Today, the Lord would have us remember that we too are blessed. We often tend to focus so much on the things that have not still worked out, or the less positive things that happen in our lives, but in reality, we have so much to thank God for.

Friend, you and I are blessed! We are children of God, washed in the blood of Jesus. We have been fully forgiven and are fully loved. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ and partakers of eternal life. God Himself has stepped into covenant with us and we have become a new creation in Christ. There is no weapon formed against us that should prosper (Isaiah 54:17) because God has commissioned His angels to surround us (Psalm 91:11). We are a part of a royal priesthood and a holy generation (1 Peter 2:9) set apart for the glory of the name of Jesus. Abba has already made available everything we could ever need for life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He has promised to answer us when we call (Jeremiah 33:3) and to cover us with His protection (Psalm 91:1-4). He has promised to provide for us and take care of all our needs (Philippians 4:19) and to heal all the sicknesses that could sometimes attack us (Psalm 103:3) in this life. He filled us with His Holy Spirit and promised to be with us always, here on the earth, until we step into heaven where we will rejoice with Him forever!

We are indeed blessed, and as if that was not enough, the Lord also promises that the blessing on our lives is transferable! He promised Abraham in Genesis 12, that He would bless him and also cause him to be a blessing to others so that all the families on the earth would be blessed through his life. This is such an awesome promise! God wants us to receive His blessing and rejoice in the fact that we are so blessed, and to share His grace and blessing with those around us, and those who pass through our lives. There is always something you have that you can give away – your time, your love, your smile, resources, experience, revelation and most of all, the way into a relationship with Jesus. What good news that people who come into relationship with us can also participate in the goodness and love of their creator God when they experience His blessing through our lives!

Dear friend, if you have been going through some difficulty, I agree that it is not always easy or natural to maintain a positive attitude. However, God wants you to see that you are His very blessed child, and the recipient of all the love and beauty that flow from His heart. Take a few moments to reflect on the fact that you are blessed among others in your generation because you belong to the King of kings, and His hand is upon your life. We faced many challenges during this past year but we are still alive and standing. The enemy may have tried to take us out but we are still living for God and worshiping Him. We made it through another year and we have so much to rejoice and thank Him for. “Thank You Lord”! God Almighty has chosen you and you are blessed to be His. You are blessed among men and women.

I pray that you will always walk in the knowledge and revelation of how blessed you are and share the blessing of Jesus with others. I pray that your Christmas is filled with the beautiful presence of the Prince of Peace. You are blessed!

Minoli Haththotuwa, 23 December 2014
www.risingonwings.org

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