“God blessed them and said to them. ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground’ ” (Genesis 1:28, NIV). “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3, NIV).
From the beginning in Genesis it has always been God’s desire to bless his people profusely. In fact, the very first words the newly created man ever heard were the blessing (Genesis 1:26-28). The Lord could have said anything at this point to get across his will for man, but he plainly desired that his people would be blessed – that is they would be empowered to succeed, to excel, to increase, to be very fruitful, to have longevity, and walk in dominion on his behalf in the earth. If it was ever God’s will to bless his people, it’s God’s will today because he does not change. The implication is that this blessing would be used to spread the garden of Eden throughout the earth. But because of sin, the curse, not the blessing, would fill the earth prompting the Lord (Genesis 3:15) to unleash his prophetic word about the plan to restore the blessing that was compromised by sin and disobedience. Without the coming covenant with Abraham and the eventual disclosure of Jesus, his descendent who would go to the cross for our sin and bring back what sin had taken from us, we would be totally lost and without hope for all eternity.
We often think of the benefits of the cross to human beings like the fact that God’s justice was fulfilled by what Jesus did, or the reality that we are now forgiven of our sins and have access to the Father and to heaven. But the Scripture itself points to the foundational reason Jesus went to the cross: “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:14). Justice has been served and we have been forgiven but the cross points to the reality that because sin (that which compromised the blessing – sin is anything that blocks, hinders, or stops the blessing) has been obliterated for those that repent and express faith in Jesus, the curse (the empowerment to fail) has been removed and the blessing has been restored.
It’s time for the born again believers to say “goodbye” to the curse and embrace once again God’s original desire for us – the blessing. Let us be quick to resist any remnant of that curse that is trying to linger in our lives and press in by faith to see the fullness of the blessing manifest in every area of our lives. That empowerment is standard equipment for us to get the job done in these last days. This is why we can say with great confidence and boldness, “if God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). As we pause to reflect on the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let’s remember that the far-reaching and destructive power of sin has been neutralized and celebrate that the eternity shaking power and influence of the blessing has been restored. Develop a new habit in your life – declaring the blessing: “I’m blessed, I can’t be cursed. I’ve been redeemed from the curse.”
FOR FURTHER STUDY ON “THE BLESSING” GO TO THE STUDY CENTER.
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