You don’t have to feel guilty about the blessing of God!  Blessing is what God does!  I have started to notice that a lot of people in this world will try to make you feel guilty about God’s blessing in your life.  When you start to live a faithful walk that takes you away from what people want you to be and into what God wants you to be, it makes people uncomfortable, because every time you experience success, they have to think about what they are not doing that they should be doing for God’s glory.  Rather than allowing the conviction to move them to obedience, they will often let it move them to justification or excuse making, which almost always ends up causing them to want to point the finger at you.

I know this, because I have observed it in my own life.  For a long time, I was doing good things, but not necessarily the right things.  When I would see someone else accomplish the supernatural, I would judge and make excuses.  The Spirit showed me, that this was really just an attempt on my part to cover up my unwillingness to step out on faith and obey.  God wants to bless everybody.  If God is blessing you, don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed, because anyone who judges you, has the same opportunity as you.  If they are not being blessed, it is usually because they have chosen to keep listening to the same self-defeating, self-justification self talk that has been holding them back from God’s will for years!

David said in Psalm 8:4-5  4 What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.  God has chosen to create you and God has chosen to bless you.  Blessing is the plan and work of God.  God crowns you with glory and honor, so that you can give glory and honor back to Him with your life and the way you live it!

God wants us to be an example of His goodness!  God does not bless because you deserve it.  God blesses because He is good and when we learn to live in His goodness, blessing is a natural part of what flows into and through our lives.  When God does bless us it paints a clear picture for the rest of the world:  If God can use me – He can use anybody!  The fact that God would use me and bless me, should not discourage, but encourage everyone around!

Another word about blessing:  When God blesses you – it is just the right size!  You don’t have to worry or wonder!  God knows you better than you know yourself and God is willing to do great things in and through your life, if you are willing to let Him.  God will not give you more than you can handle and God will not expect more out of you than you can give.

God works in every life that is willing!  You are the only excuse that matters!  If you can learn to deal with the excuse of you, then you will find that God’s blesses flow into and through your life and your life becomes powerful for giving God glory!  Figure this out, align your life and you will be glad you did!

Yesterday we took a look at the gift that God gives to those that have everything!  God gave the Wise Men a start to follow.  The start ultimately gave them the opportunity to give back to God.  God has given you a star and you don’t have to or need to apologize because God has given you a star!  You just need to figure our your star, so you can get busy chasing after it for God’s glory!

Genesis 1:26-27  says:  26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”   27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  You were created in the image of God and God has given you authority here on this earth.  You were created on purpose and for a purpose and when you discover and live according to that purpose, you give God glory and open your life to His blessing.

Don’t downplay the goodness of God!  You don’t have to be ashamed that God has called and gifted you.  You don’t have to make excuses about what He is doing or how He is using you.  Others may not understand, but don’t get mad at someone else, because they don’t understand what God is up to in your life.  And don’t get mad at someone else, because God is working in their life and does not appear to be working in yours!  Make sure that you open your heart and life to God.   Our goal should be His glory and the best way to work for His glory is by chasing after the purpose that He created and gifted us for!

Don’t stop bragging on God’s goodness!  Stop and think about it and you will realize that God has been very good to you.  Anything good that has been accomplished in your life is Him, not you!  Remember:  God is the source and supply and you are the conduit!  He does not have to use you, but He has chosen to and that is awesome!

You have something in your life to use for God’s glory!  Discover what it is and use it!  You will be glad you did!

I was thinking about the Wise Men that we read about in Scripture and got to thinking about that question!  “What do you give to someone who already has everything?”  Who better to answer that question than the Creator of the Universe?  The Wise Men, Magi or Three Kings as we’ve come to know them would qualify in the category of being men who had everything.  They would certainly be hard to buy for!

God gave them a gift and it is interesting to see what that gift happens to be!  In fact the gift that God gives to them is a gift that keeps on giving.  God gave the wise men a star!  A star they could follow to find another gift – His Son, the Savior of the world.

The star gave the Wise Men an opportunity to give back!  They gave back by following the star, by telling others about the star and when the star came to a resting place to reveal the location of the Savior, the Wise Men bowed down, worshipped and presented gifts.

The Wise Men gave back and were blessed some more!  This is the way God and His blessings work.  He blesses us, so that we can give Him glory.  When we give Him glory, we receive even greater blessing, so that we can give Him even greater glory!

It is supposed to happen the same way in your life:  God gives you something and the something He gives you gives you an opportunity to give back and when you give back, then more blessing comes!  Take some time to think about all that God has given to you and how you are giving it back for His glory.  Look for ways you can improve and get better.  Take steps to appreciate what God has given to you, by living a life of giving glory to God and blessings to others!  You will be glad you did!