God Bless You!

As Christians, we use the words "bless" and "blessing" a lot, and most of the time, we mean it. "Blessed" and "blessing" are spiritual words that the world may try to hijack, but they really have no idea of what they are. That’s because true blessings are something that only the child of God can truly experience.

It is worth noting that Jesus both began and concluded His earthly ministry blessing people. When He met the two downhearted disciples on the road to Emmaus, He blessed them. When children came to Him, Jesus took them in His arms and blessed them. After Christ’s resurrection, He lifted His hands and blessed the disciples and ascended into Heaven. In short, Jesus loved to bless people.

The word "blessed" can also be translated as "blissful and happy." This is because the word is derived from the Greek word Makarios, an adjective that basically means "happy or blissful." The Greeks called the Island of Cyprus "The Happy Isle." Because of its geographical location, balmy climate, and fertile soil, the Greeks believed that anyone who lived on this Island had it "made in the shade." They believed everything needed for happiness and fulfillment was found on Cyprus. No need to import anything, because you had it all in a self-contained island of bliss.

So, what does that mean to us? God wants us to be blessed and happy. In the opening chapter of Genesis, we read, "So God created Man in His own image. In the image of God He created them. Then God blessed them. . ." (Genesis 1:27–28).

Later, Aaron pronounced this blessing on the Israelites: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24–26).

In other words, this happiness is independent of what is happening to you. For instance, things may be going very well for you. That is great; you are blessed. But you need to remember that when things are not going well at all, you are still blessed. As Paul said, "I have found in whatever state I’m in to be content."

So God bless you!