He Loves to Bless

Genesis 12:1-4

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make you a great nation. I will bring good to you. I will make your name great, so you will be honored. 3 I will bring good to those who are good to you. And I will curse those who curse you. Good will come to all the families of the earth because of you.”

4 So Abram left as the Lord told him to do, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

“God bless you!” We hear it all the time, don’t we? From the pastor’s benediction in worship to a simple courtesy when someone sneezes, we hear wishes of God’s blessing so often that we don’t even stop to consider what the phrase means.

Let’s break away from habit and discover what it truly means to be blessed by the Lord. In Genesis 12, God’s commission of Abram shows His wonderful promise to make the man into a prospering nation and give him a great and enduring name. More than that, God extends His blessing to those close to Abram and ultimately takes it to a global scale, pledging to bless the entire world by what He’s doing in this one person’s life.

So, when the Lord speaks about blessing someone, it’s a promise to intervene mightily and noticeably in that individual’s life. This could mean a thriving, happy family or, possibly, financial prosperity. Maybe it involves emotional security or spiritual insight. The heavenly Father might have in mind to give honor, wisdom, or lasting purpose. In fact, we see every one of these things in God’s pledge to Abram.

But let’s not overlook two conditions for the Lord’s favor. From Abram’s life, we see that God values obedience and faith (Gen 12:4, Gen 15:6, Gen 22:2-3, 12).

God wants to bring abundance into your life. Be sure His blessing isn’t being hindered. Ask, Am I trusting Him? Have I ignored something He has asked me to do? Give in to His call, and open your arms to receive what your Father longs to give you.

Credit: NLT - In Touch - HS