Psalm 128

 “Blessed.”

I want to be blessed. How do I get blessed?

The land of Israel was to be a picture of the eternal reign of God upon the earth. The people were to obey the Voice of the Lord in perfect fullness, and the Lord was to show them what life could be like for His children when they fully yielded to His Word.

Jesus used the word “blessed” in the Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. He spoke of future blessings for those who have present sufferings. These were not only the words of Jesus, they were the way of Jesus, and the way for the church in our present conquest of love. We may suffer today as we follow the Lord, but the fullness of His blessings that we receive will be far beyond anything that the people of Israel knew in the land of Canaan.

The Lord has blessed me already. He drew me to Himself. He kept we through my wanderings. He has given me people to love, and He forgives my sins continually. He has granted me His Holy Spirit. I have an excellent daily provision, and good work to do for His kingdom. I have a very wonderful companion through life who helps make up for my many deficiencies. I am serving a church that loves the Word, confesses sin, receives forgiveness, and seeks the work of the Spirit in their lives together. God has prepared good works for us to do, and we have much happiness as we walk together through good times and bad.

But there are bad times today even for those who serve the Lord very faithfully. There are dreams that cannot be, at least not right now. But we look for the return of the Messiah together in the sure and certain hope of the coming resurrection.

Meanwhile we do seek to walk in the ways of the Lord. Heaven is already ours, but then it is not yet ours. The “not yet” part enables us to minister out of our wounds, and to mourn with those who mourn.

This is the Christian life in the New Testament era, but there is a solid hope that comes with it. We are looking for the return of Christ and the fullness of heaven upon the earth.

Now we have godliness with contentment; then we shall have the fullness of reward. Now we have the joys and sorrows of family life; then we shall have perfect joy and peace in the glory of the family that Christ has won through His righteousness and death. Now we have a taste of prosperity and hints of the satisfactions that come from seeing future generations growing and serving together; then we will have the entire household of God in a kingdom of perfect love without any fear of death.

This is what Jesus Christ has won for us. This is His promise even to me.

I am blessed.

“Thank you, Lord!”

How are you, dear fellow child of God? Can I help you today as the Lord works through us right now? Can I encourage you in hope as we look together for the coming eternal tomorrow?