A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy Written by Pastor Paris Pasch of The Journal Church in Hastings

If you are blessed, then be a blessing

Many people I’ve met in my life, have truly experienced God’s blessings. They have beautiful homes, nice cars, financial freedom and even healthy families. But sometimes they have missed out on the biggest blessing of them all, the blessing of becoming a blessing to others.

One of the best things I’ve participated in my life is helping someone else see the heart and hands of God through something I contributed to their life. Maybe it was a couple hours of my time or a bit of experience I’ve acquired over my sixty-seven years. It was so much fun to just give it away, because I finally realized it wasn’t mine to hold on to.

I used to be a bit of a miser who knew where every dollar was allocated. I drove nice cars as a teenager and had a healthy bank account. Then I met Jesus who taught me that He owned all that my eyes can see. He helped me understand that the things in my life were like seeds that I could sow into other people’s life and eventually I would experience a harvest of those planted seeds in the form of my own blessings or maybe in the form of encouragement direct from Him.

I then learned that God forgave me of my sins and reconciled me to Himself which means I’m back in His favor and good graces because Jesus paid the full price for my rebellion. Later I learned that God had given me a ministry much like that, where I was to be a blessing to others because He was such a blessing to me.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 (NIV) All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

So I am blessed by God, now I am called to be a blessing to those around me, and life will be so much richer and more rewarding.