October 18

We yearn to have the blessings of God. Unless we are atheists who deny that there is an entity we call ‘God,’ we yearn to have His hand of blessing upon us. We long to feel secure in Him, even as little children are secure in the love and provision of their parents.

We focus our prayers upon the attaining of the things we feel we need. We may not spend much time in praising God for His awesome power, in thanking God for His unfailing goodness, in acknowledging God for simply being Himself, but we do invest ourselves in the ‘gimme’ prayers of the immature.

Like a loving earthly father, our Heavenly Father desires that we reach full stature in our walk with Him. He wants to bless us as we grow in wisdom and faith and as we evidence the fullness of His character through our own. And to what end does He promote our spiritual growth and development?

His short answer is found in Psalm 21:6 where He says through the psalmist David, “You make him to be blessed and a blessing forever.” It is the Lord’s intention that the good things He lavishes upon His children will endure for time and eternity—but He also intends that we share the blessing by blessing others.