The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying
Scott Dannemiller’s article caught my attention and I knew I needed to stop too.
Reference: Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. You will be desolate, Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’ ” (Ezekiel 35:15 NIV)
Explore: Today I read an article by Scott Dannemiller. The title of his article, The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying, caught my attention and I only had to read the first few lines to know I needed to stop too.
In the article, Dannemiller addresses the issue of us saying that God has blessed us with so many earthly possessions. I did this just a few days ago!
I had a new friend come over to our house for the very first time. They politely commented on how lovely our surroundings were and I agreed saying how blessed we were to live here.
This type of blessing comes with some significant problems. What does it say to the thousands of faithful Christians living in developing countries without even running water to their name. Has God not blessed them?
And I agree with Dannemiller when he writes that this understanding of blessing “reduces The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers.”
We are not blessed because of our possessions. We are blessed because God has offered us grace and unconditional love and desires to have a deep relationship with us. For that, we are truly blessed.
Application: When God addressed the people in Ezekiel 35, He didn’t turn from them because they didn’t have enough possessions, or too many for that matter. It was to do with their attitude, actions and their faith.
If we focus more on these things rather than our wealth, then I can guarantee we will be truly blessed.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we see Your blessing as our comfort. May we strive to see our blessings as opportunities to show our fallen world Your love. Amen.
How have you been blessed this week?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.