Make Me a Blessing

Make Me a Blessing

The following comes from a challenge that I felt led to give during one of our times of Sunday AM Worship. It has been expanded somewhat with additional Biblical exegesis and commentary:

I want to challenge you this morning. In preparing for the series of messages on Living Your Faith in the Day to Day World, I have been burdened to take a look at what Churches do to make an impact on the world around us. I wish to challenge us today to think about “Being a Blessing.”

Zechariah 8:13 speaks of God's blessing upon the remnant of Israel. As we would look forward into the NT, we know that the promises made to Israel became the promises and blessings made to the Church. See Romans 9:6-8 for a brief explanation. Also, Galatians 3:7 states, “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” Being part of Israel is dependent upon ‘faith’ and not genetic lineage. So when God says, “I will save you that you may become a blessing”, that context applies to today’s Church as well as historical Israel at the time of writing.

I believe today that God is calling us specifically to take up the beginning step of “being a blessing.” I am asking today that we all agree to pray daily the title of this hymn, MAKE ME A BLESSING, written by Ira B. Wilson and George S. Schuler. The chorus of this hymn has such a dynamic message:

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing.

Out of my life, may Jesus shine.

Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray.

Make me a blessing to someone today! (underling is mine)

Would you pray each day for God to make you a blessing and then be intentional about looking for ways and opportunities to be a blessing? The following ways may be opportunities:

–                   Discern the hurting of someone and show them you will listen

–                   Find someone in the Church or outside of the Church who has a need and fulfill that need

–                   Do good for someone, expecting nothing in return

–                   Go into an area of your town and look for ways to give of yourself

–                   And I am sure that many of you can find endless ways to be a blessing when you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.

What about moving that to the family level? What can your family do to “be a blessing”? Look for a family project or outreach that can make a difference to someone around you.

Let's move that to the Church level. Pray that each day our Church might be a blessing to someone. And let it be more than just sending money somewhere; make it personal. What about if every SS class looked for a way to “be a blessing”? What if every group did the same thing? And what if our Church looked for ways to be a tangible blessing to someone or some need in the community?

AND imagine how great it would be if in our time of worship, God was working through us to the point that we could have several who would testify of opportunities that God had sent their way. Of course, there are times when being a blessing is something to be kept confidential, but there are times when we need to shout out what God has done. When we start looking for opportunities to ‘be a blessing’ to others, hopefully one of the manifestations of those ‘blessings’ will be clearly letting ‘Jesus shine.’

Would you pray and commit right now to asking God to “Make me a Blessing”? It is time to stop spending the majority of our energies on the mechanics of ‘doing Church’ and begin once more ‘being the Church.’ Our efforts in the past often have looked more like a business or government than the Biblical model of the Church. We are the ‘Body of Christ!’ Let’s be about doing the things we see Jesus doing.

I have spotted the truth in this challenge and have been truly convicted…How about you?

Let us 'put aside self' and live for Him!

Jeff Woolum, Pastor

First Baptist Church, Perrysburg, OH