You Christians are confused. Blessing God? That sounds oxymoronic. Blessing is for us, not God. He does not need our blessing: He is the Almighty; we are mere mortals, so it is He who blesses us, and not the other way round. Though not his exact words, this was the sense I got from his sharp response.
He was piqued at my effrontery, that I would suggest that we as mere mortals could think we can bless God or be a blessing to Him. Who are we and what do we have? That sounded like humility, but to my mind, I felt it had its roots in religiosity manifesting through an attitude of what I call, humbility. I define humbility as pseudo-humility.
Earlier in my Christian life, having heated debates was a common feature in my attempts at personal evangelism. You came out of an argument with a sense of satisfaction that you had ‘preached to someone.’ As I matured, however, I learnt that having such debates did not produce desired results. Most of the time, I ended up winning the argument but losing the person.
Today, however, I am still convinced that as Christians, blessing God ought to be a lifestyle for us. David was having some self-talk when he admonished his own soul:
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits -Psalm 103:1-2. NKJV.
This Scripture and many others, space would not permit us to write, lets us know that you and I can and should bless the Lord.
While writing this article, I checked up the word bless in the Oxford Primary School Dictionary (you cannot get any simpler!) The dictionary gave two definitions of the word bless. 1. To bless someone is to bring them happiness and 2. To bless someone is also to call them holy.
The definitions are so simple, yet so profound. As a person, you can bless God. That is, you can make Him happy. And I believe the converse is also true: You can make God unhappy.
As people, we are often more disposed to asking God to bless us; to give us this, and to give us that. And graciously, He does. In His never-failing loving-kindness, He is always favourably disposed towards you. Psalm 103 is replete with the good things God has done and still does for us. He desires that we do well in life, and that pleases Him.
Whenever our lives are moving towards the direction that fulfils the purpose for which God created us, He is blessed by it. Enoch pleased God by faith. His life was a constant walk with God; Abraham pleased God by believing God’s promise; King David’s life was generally so pleasing to God, that He described David as a man after His heart. David’s was a life of constant praise and commitment to seeking God and His will. You can also please God by faith. When you walk by faith, God is blessed.
Also, you bless God in recounting through praise and gratitude things He has done for you. Let this be a constant practice for you even in crisis times. Praising God in crisis times has often brought me great comfort, peace and victory. You can praise and worship Him, because of who He is!
You can bless God by cheerfully giving to others, especially the needy and to His work. (And while I am at this, if someone is using gimmicks, cajoling or pressuring you to give, such that you are overwrought, it may not be of God. God does not cajole, or force anyone to give. Remember that it is a cheerful giver that God loves (2 Corinthians 9:7). It blesses Him when we are excited in our giving. Think about it!
You can bless God by declaring His attributes, calling Him holy. That is what the twenty-four elders in the book of Revelation spend their time doing: bowing and worshipping. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (See Rev. 4:8-11). I am not saying you should spend the rest of your life genuflecting or bowing down to God 24/7.
When your life is submitted to Him in all things, through faith that works by love, you already have a lifestyle of worship. Your life is practically calling God holy! That is what Peter means when he wrote:
But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” -1 Peter 1:15-16, NKJV.
You would also bless God by going to work. Believe me! Going to and doing your work with a good heart and an excellent spirit, blesses God. God does not anoint sloppiness and complaining at and about your work. These attitudes do not get your work done in a manner that blesses God.
Finally, life is not all about “number-one.” It is not all about you. A talk I listened to on TV reported the findings of a study that suggested a person is much more prone to depression if his life is focused on self.
Your relationship with the Lord and even with other people should not be all about, “Me, Myself and I.” In fact, in everything you do, you can be committed to asking yourself, How can I make the Lord happy with what I do, how do it, and is my attitude right in the way I do it? Make blessing God your lifestyle!
As an act of His will, God created us so that our lives would always bring Him pleasure. Is your life doing just that? Is your life blessing God?
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created -Revelation 4:11, KJV.
Thank you. Do not forget to keep living, loving and learning.
References: Psalm 103:1-2. NKJV; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Revelation 4:8-11; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 3:17; Revelation 4:11, KJV.
