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The Distance Between Blessed and Blessing
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The Distance Between Blessed and Blessing by Phil A popular phrase over the past several years is "Pay it forward." According to Google's AI overview, "Pay it forward" means to repay a kindness you receive by doing a good deed for someone else, rather than paying back the original person, creating a chain reaction of generosity. Instead of returning a favor directly, you pass on the goodwill to a new person, often a stranger, with the hope that they will do the same for someone else. In our "me first" world, this concept seems shockingly out of sync and overly virtuous. I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but this has been part of the Christ-following life since the beginning. We are called not only to live by the "Golden Rule," (do unto others as you would have them do unto you - Matthew 7:12), but also by what has been called the "Platinum Rule," (do unto others as Christ has done unto you - John 13:34). When we realize that Christ forgave our sins by paying the ultimate price on the cross, how could we not pass that forgiveness on to others? It seems the least that we could do, and yet we all fall short, even with our brothers and sisters in the church. We’ll soon journey through Holy Week: the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the teaching at the synagogue, the garden prayer, the Last Supper, the arrest and trial, the crucifixion, and ultimately, the Easter morning resurrection! So many examples of Christ’s love for us are packed into such a short time. My challenge to all of us this year is go beyond the “me” mentality and let His love and blessing not just flow to us, but through us to others. There’s no way we can repay Christ for all He’s done for us, but our entire life can be an opportunity to “pay it forward,” not out of obligation, but overwhelming gratitude. Several years ago, my dear friend Helga Kaefer and I wrote a song I’d like to leave you with today. We are surrounded by people who desperately need to feel God’s love; there is no shortage of opportunity. The amazing thing is - the more we pour out to others, the more God keeps pouring into us. We will never run out of God’s blessings, no matter how many we give away! Consider the cross, where Christ gave it all Give out the blessing, don't keep it inside, Go love ‘em! If you’d like to listen to “Give Out The Blessing,” it’s right here - https://philandpammorgan.bandcamp.com/track/give-out-the-blessing Click Here to Check our Concert Schedule! Check us out on Facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/PhilandPamMorgan |
Phil & Pam Morgan
We're authors and musicians who loves to talk about faith & spirituality, arts & crafts, and music. Subscribe and join over 2,000+ newsletter readers every week!
Here we are at the third visit to our familiar passage. Last time we looked at an invisible character in our story, the homeowner. This time we’ll shift our attention to very visible but overlooked characters… Part Three - The Other Students When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to...
Welcome back to our exploration of a familiar scripture through four different sets of eyes. Today we are up to... Part Two - The Homeowner When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of...
Have you ever seen a movie or read a book where the same story is retold from the viewpoint of different characters? Even though the facts are the same, you gain a little more knowledge and understanding by seeing it from more than one perspective. That's one way I like to read the Bible. I thought it might be fun this month to take a familiar Bible story (just five verses!) and view it through the eyes of four different characters. Let's go! When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days...