Genesis 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing:… And thou shalt be a blessing. This is part of the sixfold promise given to Abraham. He was to be a blessing to all nations. It is a very great joy to a devout soul to become a blessing temporally or spiritually to others. I. EVERY MAN OF FAITH IS A CENTER OF BLESSING. Men who yield to their carnal natures cannot bless others. The Christian should not incidentally, but intentionally, bless others. Where a man is corrupt his working will be injurious; purity is a benediction to mankind. II. A DEVOUT AND FAITHFUL MAN IS A BLESSING CHIEFLY TO THOSE WHO CAN RECEIVE HIS INFLUENCE. The light of the sun causes one substance to decay, another to fructify. The life of a servant of God may only provoke a sneer and opposition in some souls; but in others joy, thankfulness, love, and effort at imitation. To some an apostle was "a savor of death unto death." III. THE MEASURE OF OUR FAITH IS THE MEASURE OF THE BLESSING WE SHALL TRANSMIT TO OTHERS. We sometimes hinder the operation of God's promise by our self-righteous humility, which ignores the fact that God often uses the "weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty." There must be faith in God's continued working. He can make the future fruitful in proportion to our faith. Look at what he made of Paul, Luther, Wesley, and Whitfield because they were all men of strong faith. IV. TO BE A BLESSING THROUGH THE POWER AND FAVOR OF GOD IS THE HIGHEST HONOR IN THE WORLD. It was God who "made" Abraham a blessing; he gave him the power, fostered his faith, and perpetuated his influence. What honor could Abraham have comparable with this? It is probable that Abraham thought little of the honor which would come to him; but God adapted his promise to that which he knew to be the desire of the secret soul of Abraham. Seeing a longing in the heart to lift men to a higher level, he gratifies it by making Abraham a blessing. All should cherish such desires. The help we can give to others morally is far greater than that we can bestow materially. To live an aimless life is a disgrace and sin, but to live to bless others is Divine. - H. Parallel Verses KJV: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: |
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