I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:2-3
God’s purpose in creating mankind was to fill the earth with people who walked with Him and enjoyed His blessings. Man sinned and walked away from God, but God’s purposes have not changed, He still desires to bless His creation.
God’s calling is always a calling to be a blessing. We can see this so clearly in the life of Abraham. God blessed Him, so that he in turn would be a blessing. The particular blessing being spoken about here is the promise of the Saviour.
It would be through Abraham and Sarah’s descendants that Jesus would be born. When we read through the Scriptures, we can see that God preserved this line of descent, through slavery, rebellion, wars, famines and exile. Man’s failings cannot thwart the purposes of God.
The promise given to Abraham was ultimately fulfilled in the birth of Jesus who was, is and ever will be the Saviour of the world. His salvation is for anyone, the “whosoever that believeth in Him”. John 3:16. While the Jewish people were the chosen nation that would bring forth the Saviour, their chosen “ness” was for the sole purpose of being a blessing to others.
That is the call to every Christian. While our salvation is a very individual and intimate thing, it was never meant to be private. As Christians we are called to be a blessing by telling the world about God’s love for them and His offer of salvation.
Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples wherever they went by teaching people the ways of God. That is what we are to do. That is what we are called to do, and in doing this we will be blessed. 1Peter 2:9 tells us,
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
We are to be proclaimers of His blessings, so that others too may be blessed. What a privilege and honour to be called by the King of Kings to be involved in the blessing of the nations.
