Count Your Blessings: Meaningless Cliche or Powerful Truth?

Posted by on Oct 27, 2014 in Signboard | 0 comments

The signboard message posted on October 25, 2014 said the following:

 

WANT TO FEEL RICH?

COUNT YOUR

BLESSINGS!

Probably most grown ups (and maybe even many kids), grown when they hear the phrase “Count Your Blessings!”  The Sunday School song “Count your blessings name them one by one…” probably pops into mind.  We’ve heard it all before.

And probably when someone tries to cheer us up by suggesting blessings they start rattling off things like family, job, roof over your head, the beautiful weather, health, etc, etc…

But what if you just got divorced, or lost your job or home.  What if it’s 30 miserable cloudy rainy degrees outside!  What blessings do you have that you can count?  The problem with feeling rich or counting blessings like these is that they are tied to earthly things.  Sure, God gives us all we have, but riches and human relationships are fragile.  The weather is temporary.  What is there that you can count that you can count on?

In contrast to these human things, here are some God things that you can really count on:

God’s the Real Deal- He doesn’t Flip Flop and Run Away…

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that he should lie,

nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act?

Does he promise and not fulfill?

NIV

God is all powerful- this is His World.  Unlike people, He Can do ANYTHING!

Job 38:4-7

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.

 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!  Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set,  or who laid its cornerstone—

while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

NIV

God is Righteous.  Everything He does is fair.

Deut 10:17-21

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.  And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

NIV

We are sinful- can’t stand before God.  BUT- Jesus gives us clean clothes!

Zechariah  3:1-4

 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.  The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.  The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.” NIV

We’re like Joshua; filthy with our selfishness and pride.  But Jesus- the “angel of the Lord” stands beside us and gives us His righteousness.

As messed up as we are, God somehow forgives us and keeps His Righteousness.

From John 8:3-11

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group…

When they kept on questioning him [questioning Jesus- about stoning the woman], he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”   …

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. …. Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

 “No one, sir,” she said.  “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” NIV

Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit gives us True Joy…

John 14:15-17

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth.

Gal 5:22-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. NIV

Jesus- the Son of God- really does care about us!

Matt 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Luke 13:34-35

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

John 11:35

Jesus wept.   [At the tomb of Lazarus] NIV

Jesus has a place for you in heaven!

John 14:2-4

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

NIV

And the list goes on and on.  This screen isn’t wide enough to list all of the blessings we could count.  When you look at the world, a lot of the “blessings” turn out to be pretty disappointing.  But look at our Creator! When you think of God and get to know His character, you’ll feel truly rich with blessings!

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