I’ve Been Blessed

I forgot I was wearing my favorite t shirt when I stopped at the rest park on Interstate 75. My shirt simply says: “I’ve Been Blessed”. As I entered the area by the vending machines a man waved me over and asked if I was a Catholic. He referred to my shirt that read “I’ve Been Blessed”. I told him no, but I am blessed by Almighty God with a loving wife and a great family, daily provision and some good friends. But most of all I’ve been blessed with a wonderful Savior who died for me and washed away all my sins.

Have you ever stopped to consider all the things you have been blessed with? God has blessed us in our country with freedom and prosperity as a nation. He has showered us with our measure of health and employment. He has favored us with the Bible and the joy of other believers. The list of blessings from the hand of God could continue to go on and on.

We have been blessed and favored by God but we need to be careful. In 1 Corinthians 10 the apostle Paul records the blessings of Israel. They witnessed miracle after miracle. They crossed the Red Sea, they were fed with manna and had water come from the rock. They were led by the cloud in the wilderness. However, most of them died in the wilderness without seeing the land of promise. Why was God not pleased with them? Even though they were blessed daily from God they continued to complain, they turned to idols, they committed immorality, they rejected Moses’s leadership and they tested the Lord’s goodness time after time. As Paul relates their story to the Corinthians, he warns them that even though they are blessed with so much, they too can displease the Lord. They too need to flee lest temptation cause them to stumble.

As we think of all the ways we have been blessed as believers and as a nation, may we be careful not to fail Him lest we lose our blessing and incur His disfavor.