When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.— Joel Osteen
The greatest blessing in the whole world is being a blessing.
In records of human accomplishments, we find the following: Albert Einstein, acclaimed theoretical physicist; Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Facebook; Sergey Brin, owner of Google, Larry Page and Larry Ellison, founders of Oracle, one of the largest software companies in the world; Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies; Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, all US Supreme Court Judges; Karl Landsteiner, a biologist, physician and immunologist famous for his work on blood groups; Helena Rubinstein, cosmetic entrepreneur and millionaire; Joseph, former prime minister of Egypt famous for his interventions in world famine in his day; Jesus Christ, Saviour of mankind from sin. What do they all have in common? A Jewish background though not all profess faith in the Judeo-Christian God.
Throughout history, people of Jewish descent have experienced diverse atrocities but their impact on all fields of life - medicine, science and technology, defense advancement, music, art – is outstanding and unquestionable. Simply put, the Jews have been and will keep being a blessing to the world. How did all this come about? Through the sacrifices and legacy of their father, Abraham. And the covenant blessing of God to Abraham have manifested over the centuries: “ I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed .” Genesis 12:2-3 (NKJV). As Balaam prophesied, they have been distinguished and blessed by God and therefore cannot be cursed. Not even when deliberate attempts are made to curse or harm them.
Though this generational blessing was bequeathed to Abraham’s descendants, each generation needed a revelation of this promise to activate it in their lives through obedience, faith and sacrifice. From Genesis 25, we find Isaac learning to walk with God: in response to his prayer, God gave Rebekah children. Whereas Abraham moved to Egypt during a famine, God asked Isaac to stay in Gerar, against his plans. Isaac obeyed and the covenant was confirmed to him. In the next generation, though Isaac pronounced the covenant blessing on Jacob, he had his own encounters with God (see Genesis 28). After God pronounced the covenant blessings over him, Jacob had to indicate his interest in this blessing.
1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar... 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.
Genesis 26:1-6 & 12, NIV
Consistent with His faithful nature, God keeps fulfilling the covenant blessing to Abraham’s descendants, even to those who do not necessarily acknowledge Him. If we have been grafted into this covenant by faith in Christ, should we not be equally blessed and more? Why then does mediocrity, dependency, and poverty abound in some sectors of Christendom? How have we disconnected from this covenant blessing?
First, mindset! Jews typically have a unique view on life. They are wired to think of solutions instead of problems. Because of their solution-oriented perspective on issues, they make ground-breaking discoveries and attain success from the very challenges others lament or endure. So, in Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, Norman Lebrecht asks: “Why did these Jews, some practicing, many not, think ‘outside the box’? He opines that Jews ‘managed to see what others could not” precisely because of their upbringing, their schooling in Talmudic disputation, their propensity to say, ‘what if?’ and push a problem or a situation just one stage further than everyone else’. They believe they have access to superior intelligence, even when they do not believe in God. From an early age, they are trained in a sound mentorship system which programs them for success. If we want to be blessings, we must think creatively, just like our heavenly Father, and have a generational mindset.
Many of us enjoy diverse peanut products but few of us are familiar with the name, George Washington Carver. He was a man who decided to be a blessing to the world, though born into slavery and freed later in life. In his book, Draw the Circle, Mark Batterson dedicates several paragraphs to celebrate this man who grew from insignificance to a blessing in his field. He writes:
''Around the turn of the twentieth century, the agricultural economy of the South was suffering as the boll weevil devastated cotton crops. The soil was being depleted of nutrients because farmers planted cotton year in and year out. Enter George Washington Carver, one of the most brilliant scientific minds of the twentieth century. Carver introduced the concept of crop rotation and encouraged farmers to plant peanuts instead of cotton. The rotation of crops revived the soil, but it didn’t revive the economy because there was no market for peanuts. The abundant peanut crop rotted in warehouses because supply was greater than demand. When frustrated farmers complained to Carver, he did what he had always done: he took a long walk and had a long talk with God.
George Washington Carver routinely got up at 4:00 a.m., walked through the woods, and asked God to reveal the mysteries of nature. Job 12:7–8 was one of the most-circled promises in his Bible. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.”
Carver took that promise at face value. He literally asked God to reveal the mysteries of nature. And God answered his prayer. Carver is famous for discovering more than three hundred uses for the peanut, but the genesis of those revelations was one conversation with God. In his own inimitable fashion, Carver shared the story behind the story.
I asked God, “Why did you make the universe, Lord?” “Ask for something more in proportion to that little mind of yours,” replied God. “Why did you make the earth, Lord?” I asked. “Your little mind still wants to know far too much. Ask for something more in proportion to that little mind of yours,” replied God. “Why did you make man, Lord?” I asked. “Far too much. Far too much. Ask again,” replied God. “Explain to me why you made plants, Lord,” I asked.
“Your little mind still wants to know far too much.” “The peanut?” I asked meekly. “Yes! For your modest proportions, I will grant you the mystery of the peanut. Take it inside your laboratory and separate it into water, fats, oils, gums, resins, sugars, starches, and amino acids. Then recombine these under my three laws of compatibility, temperature, and pressure. Then you will know why I made the peanut.”
This is exactly what Carver did and his solutions in the agricultural and environmental fields brought him success, recognition and influence in an era of high racial polarization. His contributions improved the lives of farmers, enlightened others to pursue similar research, and provided a platform to break the racial and social stratification in his era. His faith in Jesus Christ shone in the virtues he espoused and his testimony that faith was the means by which he effectively pursued and performed the art of science.
Beloved, what are we also doing with our belief in God? Are we asking Him the right questions? Could the problems intriguing us be clues of areas we can partner with God for solutions? The world is riddled with challenges such as waste management, environmental pollution, food shortages, racial and gender discrimination, economic and financial crises, relational problems, wars and diseases. Are we not able to trust God for solutions to specific issues? Are we not serving the same God that Carver dialogued with? Is our God different from the one prophet Isaiah speaks about in the following verses?
23 Hear my voice, listen to my words, and pay close attention to my parable.
24 Does a farmer plow continually at planting time and never plant a crop? Does he continually break open the clods of the ground
4 Batterson, Mark. Draw the Circle (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
and never sow his seed?
25 Once he has leveled its surface, does he not sow dill and cumin, planting his wheat in rows, his barley in its proper place, and his rye in a patch?
26 Yes, his God has instructed him and taught him the right way of farming the land.
27 Dill, a small seed, is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a wagon wheel rolled over cumin. Dill is beaten with a rod and cumin with a stick.
God is still searching for hearts and minds that want to be a blessing to impart with His magnificent wisdom. He has given us diverse gifts and abilities through His spirit to manifest supernatural works of healings, wisdom, prophecies, miracles, and the likes. But the greater works Jesus promised that believers would do are not limited to these alone. He has called us to distinguish ourselves in all arenas of life through the spirit of service and excellence upon our lives. Our good works should not be limited to the four walls of the church. Neither should they be branded for Christians alone because our Heavenly Father causes His sun to shine on believers and unbelievers alike. If we can attend to our ordinary tasks with a mind to make a difference, solve a problem, touch a life, we will be a blessing indeed.
Like Daniel, we are called to influence world leaders with divine insights. Like Esther and Mordecai, we are called to pursue causes of justice. Like Joseph, we are endowed with leadership and entrepreneurial abilities to solve life-threatening issues and establish sustainable profitable enterprises in our era. None of us is exempt from this calling to be a blessing. In whatever capacity or field you find yourself, you can be a solution. In the home, in the labs, in the offices, in the marketplaces, you can offer something that makes your ordinary tasks stand out and bless others. As Carver says, ‘When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world’. This is what it means to be a blessing!
It is high time you determined to be a blessing through partnership with God! It is about time you sought God to manifest the blessings you have in Christ. It is high time you arose and shone!