“Blessed shall you when you come in, and blessed shall you when you go out” - Deuteronomy 28:6 (NIV).
There are a number of tribes in Uganda and throughout Africa where children are given names that ring like a form of curse. Can you imagine giving a child a name like “Damadri” - death has come! or, “Musota”-the snake!” Perhaps “Zinsazze”- sorrows upon me! Well, frankly the intention of giving children such names is not to bless them but something else, perhaps sinister.
Such cursing was not the case among the Jews. After Abraham’s servant convinced her family to release Rebekah for marriage to Isaac, before they let her go a prayer was said. “Our sister may you increase to thousands upon thousands, may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies” (Gen 24:60). The nation that would come out of Rebekah’s womb, Israel, has since been blessed by that prayer.
Blessings at the start of a journey was customary among Jews. Moses blessed Joshua as he passed on to him the leadership baton. “Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord. He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemy will cower over you and you will tread on their heights” (Deut 33:29). Jacob called on Joseph to bless his children before passing on. “When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” Joseph said, “They are my sons whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me that I may bless them” (Gen 48:8-9).
Just as in some cultures they lump on children sinister names to follow them through, so are they too reluctant to bless each other. However, if we see among God’s people, blessing each other was a way of life. May we just like they be inspired to bless each other, starting with our very families. For if we see the success of the Jewish peoples all over the world and through millenniums, who can doubt that those prayers of blessings by their forefathers have followed them mightily.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray in the precious name of Lord Jesus, to be blessed of you and those whom you have placed under him.
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06/05/2024 - 07/05/2024 All day“Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)
Almost all cultivators are aware that if soils are used perpetually without rains but constantly under work they are deprived of all nutrients. So, though once productive, they lose all power to yield fresh crops as before. But so is our Christian life when we do not regularly feed our spirit life with the Word!
In our leading verse, the Apostle Paul is urging believers to “renew” their minds rather than make them stale, lest they end up losing all power to yield fruit. But how is this done? We renew our minds by constantly reading the Word of God, for there are always insights with God speaking to us afresh. Psalm 119:104-5 says, “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The Apostle Peter reminds us, “Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow and be saved.” It is a beautiful illustration for any who have seen a hungry baby sucking the teats of a mother.
Renewing our minds is also by reading about the lives of people of faith who have walked before us and their created works. The Christian faith started in the first century after Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead. Now over two millenniums it has produced giants of faith who have shared their walk with God through inspired teachings that are a treasure to dig into. By scouring the writings of the great saints before us, listening to their recorded sermons, songs and preaching, which these days can be found on virtual medial channels like Yu tube, reading their biographies, our faith is renewed.
And then we also renew our faith through fellowship. When the Apostle Paul urges us, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” ( Hebrews 10:25), he is reminding us that our faith cannot grow in isolation. During the Covid pandemic lockdown one bitter issue was denying Believers opportunity to meet fellow followers of Christ to share testimonies showing the work of God in their lives.
So today, if your faith is on a low keel, or you want it to flower, one thing you can’t help doing without is “renewing” your mind. The blessings to unfold are endless.
Prayer for today:Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a treasure we have of your rich Word to dig into always; books around us of faith to inspire us; and believers to share our faith- may we make use of these, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
