NOW! Living Bold – Entry 5: BLESS

What in the world does BLESS mean and why should you be concerned about it?

One of the mysterious words that religion throws around is the word “blessing”. We pray for God’s blessings… we ask to be blessed… we bless our food… and we bless our sneezes. We thank God for blessing us a nation, but what does that really mean? And do we really mean it when we say it?

I’m sitting in the restaurant the other day and all of a sudden a rush of agony came over me as I sucked in a load of air and blew out a monster sneeze! It was almost as if I was punched in the face. I’m not a quiet sneezer… I rattle the room. Then out of the silence that followed, a polite voice rang out behind me that said… “Bless you.” Isn’t that odd? I sneezed… and people are shouting – “Bless you!”. I know they are being polite… but they’re using the “patented” religious term wrongly. How can I blame them, it’s how they’ve been taught. What is it to God that my nasal cavity felt the need to expel some foreign matter? Does that really deserve a blessing? No. So stop it. I know it seems harmless, but look where it’s gotten us.

I just might offend you right here. Don’t get your panties in a wad.

I’m so tired of listening to religious people claim how God has blessed them with a better job, a great career, and wonderful home…(cover your eyes…here comes a bad word). Bullshit! God knows this doesn’t bring happiness… it’s plainly written in scripture that you’ve got a choice to make between God and Materialism… and only one of them brings life and happiness. God’s concern is that you are filled with contentment and joy that only comes from living out His commands and putting other people first. So shut up when you pray about God’s provision for worldly possessions and toys.

Newsflash: If it doesn’t bring honor to God… then it’s of no use to Him. And saying that you’ll honor God with your stuff is a lame attempt to bargain away your guilt. As a dad… you know when your child is up to no good and angling for a toy. God knows you better than you know your child.

God’s gifts come in infinite ways. But I can assure you that if land, money, career, or anything like this is the root of your worship of God… it’s not from Him. Nothing makes me sadder than people who are infatuated with “stuff”. Don’t bring that mess around me… I’m not impressed.

Now know this…I don’t think you should sell your junk and live in a refrigerator box. I do, however, think that when you focus on God’s plan for life… that good things will come into your possession. God’s promise to us is that blessings for our life will come in quantities so large we can’t contain it! But beware of any preacher, teacher, or self-help guru that uses this theology to get you to “buy in” to God.

Faith has nothing to do with what you get out of it. Faith is driven by what you put into to it.

The goodness that comes your way is “thanks” for being obedient. And this is the kicker… you won’t be infatuated with the treasures that God lays on you… you’ll feel humbled that God is blessing you! You’ll soon find that the gifts God provide only bolster your life to do more for Him! The things you once cherished will be useless to you. The shine will fade.

Take this warning to heart. If you practice faith in order to receive stuff… you are creating sons of hell by your example. I know dozens of guys and families who subscribe to the idea that “if I’m good and I do good things… then God will give me stuff”. This theology and way of life is not from God, it doesn’t look like God, and it doesn’t even come close to God’s ways. It’s just straight evil. Try to back up that theology with God’s word and get back to me when you find it. I’ll see you… never.

Men. If you’re tired… if you’re just not happy… if you just can’t seem to find the groove… listen to me. Stop chasing the stuff and stop chasing the blessings. Let go. Start looking for ways that you can help your neighbors by using the talents and skills you have in your hands right now. After 1 day of service… you’ll know God is near, and you’ll be compelled to lean closer to His ways. Everyday there are people within 3 feet of you that are desperately praying for God’s hand and relief. Guess what… you are God’s hands… you are the relief. Your blessing awaits… as you bless others.

This is the type of prayer I say each day and 100% of the time, without fail, it’s answered. I pray that today, God open my eyes so I can see who needs His touch. I pray that, today, God opens my mouth and gives me the words to say what He needs me to say to that person. And I pray that, today, God gives me the courage to act when He puts the person in front of me. Every single time, God places someone in my path and I have the chance to be a blessing. I have never had to go looking for them. Now here’s the confession: I don’t always act. I see the need and God nudges me toward it, and I back away sometimes. I don’t feel real good about that, but God continues to give me opportunities in spite of my reluctance on some days. Whew…room for error.

Living Bold occurs when you let go of chasing stuff and grab hold of God’s plan for you (remember God’s plan? Earlier entry – go read it again). When you do this…your primary provision from God will be contentment… purpose… focus. You will forget about the things that used to drive you and you’ll start being driven by the things that God is concerned about. Then one day you will look around and see that He has taken care of your every need… in more ways than you could have ever dreamed.

What father will give a child a snake when his son asks for a fish? So why would God give you hell when you’re asking Him for heaven? If you’re getting Hell… you’re asking for it.

Do you realize how tough you have to be in order to live this Bold lifestyle? This way of living flies in the face of conventional cultural wisdom… and it goes against the grain of today’s church that is trenched in behind the doors of the chapel. Start living this Bold Faith, and you’ll be among the rare few in your community or church that’s doing it. This is how you lead… by example.

So where do you start with this whole process of Living Bold? How do you get the ball rolling? Inertia. I’ll explain in the next entry.

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(You are reading the blog series by Live Bold. This is a living, unedited book being written in the wide open. Follow along. If you’re getting here late, go back to the archives under the LB NOW category and start reading. Each entry is numbered in sequence. Comments are welcome and some will end up in the final published book. May God’s hand be in all we do here at Live Bold.)

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.