It seems as if everyone is looking for employment these days. If you take a gander at the U.S. Bureau of Labor site you can find all the stats for what’s happening around the nation. Here’s a snippet from one of the articles, “In December, there were 2,275 mass layoff actions, involving 226,117 workers. Mass layoff events decreased by 58 over the month, while initial claims increased slightly by 478. Over the year, mass layoff events increased by 806, and initial claims increased by 80,201″
I taught the high school and middle school ministries this week at The Journey and we’re in the middle of a series called “Greed and the Me Monster” so I thought it would be pertinent to speak on something pro active and challenge the students with something practical instead of shaking my finger at them for being greedy. This is the verse I used.
1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
I dig what The Message says as well,
1 Peter 3:8-9
8-12Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Peter is hands down the biggest screw up in the history of the church. He struck an unarmed boy with a sword when the search party was trying to take Jesus in. He denied even knowing him to a little slave girl around a
coal fire, and the list goes on, but there is one thing we can trust in. Peter’s words are dependable. This guy walked and talked with Jesus and Jesus said to him,
upon this rock I will build my kingdom so if Jesus considers him worthy enough to build His entire kingdom on, we can trust what Peter says.
This little snippet is found in the third chapter of Peter’s first letter in a section titled “Godly Living” and he begins with “to sum it all up” right before he tells us that it’s our job to bless and to be blessed. I don’t know what that looks like in your life but I’ll throw the same challenge I threw at my middle school students at you. God loves you. So what? No matter what you do, God is still going to love you. What are you going to do with that love? It’s your job to bless. It’s my job to bless and it’s our job to bless and to receive blessings! What do you have that you can bless people with? Is it time? Is it money? Is it encouragement or compassion, hospitality, athletic ability, musical ability, what has God given you to bless others with?
I’m not a health and wealth gospel preacher by any means. This is the word “blessing” I’m referencing, eulogeo which means
- to praise, celebrate with praises
- to invoke blessings
- to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers
- to ask God’s blessing on a thing
- pray God to bless it to one’s use
- pronounce a consecratory blessing on
- of God
- to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on
- favoured of God, blessed
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Do you see money anywhere in there? Do you see new corvette anywhere in there? A blessing can be anything, really. But the blessing that Peter is talking about is one that is “Of God” see #4. I love it.
Who will you bless this week? Who has blessed you?
side note: these are not all my original thoughts. I totally stole them from one of my dad’s sermons and added some stuff here and there….thanks Dad!
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I think this job sounds more fun than most jobs out there!