BLESSING BY ASSOCIATION
Have you ever been blessed by association? Sometimes a friend has an extra ticket. Sometimes, a friend knows someone who knows someone, so you get that interview.
My husband has a very kind family. I remember my first Christmas with them; I was amazed how they treated me like one of their own. For a moment, stop and consider how you have been blessed by association of late. We often miss how blessed we are because we are not pondering the many, multifaceted ways in which God blesses us through others. Likewise, God has several plans each day to bless others through us. Are we sensitive to His leading?
When Abraham was called by God, God told him that He’d be blessed, and others would be blessed through him.
Ge 12:1The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
Ge 12:2“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
Ge 12:3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was blessed by his association with Abraham. Wow! Just stop and consider how Lot was blessed simply because he knew Abraham. But then, the herds grew and the people grew and Lot’s people were arguing with Abraham’s people about not having enough room. So, Abraham, being wise, told Lot he could choose which part of the land he wanted.
Ge 13:7And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
Ge 13:8So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.
Ge 13:9Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
Ge 13:10Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Ge 13:11So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:
Ge 13:12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.
Ge 13:13Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.
Lot chose the land that looked the best and had the most water. Has that happened to you lately? I am reminded of Abraham who did not need man to be kind to him in order for him to be blessed. He did not need man to be fair to him to know he would be blessed. No, Abraham, knew that God alone could and would bless him, despite man. You see, Abraham, looked at the “other” land that Lot had not chosen, and He knew God would provide. It was at this divine moment that God said….
Ge 13:14The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.
Ge 13:15All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.
Ge 13:16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.
Ge 13:17Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
Interestingly enough, Lot got into some trouble lately, and his nice Uncle Abram organized some of his warriors and they all went and rescued Lot and his family. Abraham was a continual blessing to many, and many, many, many people were blessed through Abraham by association.
Through which associations are you blessed today? Are others blessed through their association with you?
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.