Saturday, February 23, 2019

The Blessing of Promised Blessings

Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with a set of sayings now known as the Beatitudes, most of which follow the same basic pattern: "Blessed are the [certain kind of people (eg. meek, peacemakers, poor in heart, etc.)], for they shall [receive a particular blessing]." What strikes me as being interesting here is the verb tenses. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth." Are and Shall. Present Tense and Future Tense. The meek are blessed because they will be blessed.

Perhaps the promise of a future blessing can, itself, be a blessing. Maybe it's like a check. A check that's made out to you isn't exactly money, but it is a promise of money, and that promise is sure enough that you can take it to the bank (pun intended). Being given a check is almost the same as being given money, even though what you're actually being given is the promise that you will given money. Being given the promise of a future blessing is almost like being given a blessing; you just have to wait for it.

In the meantime, the holder of such a celestial promissory note can enjoy a certain amount of peace and anticipation. When you know a blessing is coming, you can look forward to it, and it can give you the encouragement you need to hold out faithful and ultimately secure it. Temporal blessings are good, but eternal blessings are even better, partly because eternal blessings come with some temporal blessings as well.

I am grateful that I have been blessed, and I look forward to the blessings that are coming. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the blessing that is the promise of future blessings.

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