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Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”
Genesis 48:9

It is a phrase we see through out the Scriptures. Sometimes it took on the form of a prayer. Recall Jesus taking the time to bless the little children who are brought to him (Matt. 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17). We are admonished to bless others, even our enemies (Rom. 12:14, Mt. 5:44, Lk. 6:28). In many ways it is an unnatural practice. Bless our enemies? Why would God ask this of us? Answering this question brings us closer to the heart and mission of God.
Blessing others requires me to give to others what I might selfishly want to hold onto. Do we always want God to bless others? Do we want to bless others? We live in a self serving world. We want things to be done for us, me. We want God to bless us, not others. It is an honest struggle, but I believe it is one that God’s Spirit is able to help us through. It was a repeated practice of the patriarchs. Blessing down from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob continued to be practiced through out Israel’s history. In the New Testament Jesus makes this an integral part of his disciples lives. It continues to be an essential quality of being the body of Christ. The church is meant to bless others. Jesus blessed children, sick, prostitutes, thieves, outcasts, doubters, poor, and demon possessed. Blessing gives direction, love, help, and hope. It is not dependent on what someone has done, but on what God can do with someone. God’s blessings have unlimited potential in life. I wonder what would happen if we made a concerted effort to bless others. Who are you reaching out to bless today?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 1:3