In todays time, when we have all the things of convenience accessible to us and things continue to get newer and smarter, we must not forget what our true blessings are. Our vehicle? I am thankful, but that isn’t my blessing. My home? I’m so thankful, but that isn’t my blessing… I believe that God sent us in the direction of our home and made things possible when we came across hiccups during the purchasing simply because I knew in my heart this is where God was calling us to be.. but lets be clear. While it is entirely good and right to have a heart of gratitude and thank God for providing a safe vehicle or a comfortable home, the Bible gently reframes our definition of the word. To the biblical writers, a physical object is just a temporary provision; the true blessing is the relationship with the Provider and the ability to use what you have to serve the people around you.

The word “bless” in all of its forms such a blessing, bless, blessed, appears in both old and new testament 500-600 times which peaked my interest into what exactly is a blessing, which is what I want to share with you all, so when we are counting our blessings, we aren’t overlooking the biggest ones.

1. Jesus’s sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 lays out blessings as such; The Greek word used here is, makarios. It describes a flourishing, deeply rooted state of joy and divine favor. Here, people are blessed by God not for their wealth, but for their spiritual posture: being poor in spirit, merciful, pure in heart, or peacemakers.
2. In passages like Psalm 32:1, we are considered blessed because our “transgressions are forgiven and our sins are covered”
3. In some instances, a person is “blessed by” their community or a stranger out of deep gratitude for an act of kindness, charity, or deliverance. Ruth 2:11-12, 2 Sam 2:5-6, Acts 9:36-42, Phil 4:14-19.
4. The only time I can find where a blessing comes from an object, is from the Ark of the Covenant (2Sam 6:11-12, 1 Chron 13:14). King David was attempting to move the Ark to Jerusalem, but after a man named Uzzah touched it irreverently and died, David became terrified of its power. He halted the procession and left the Ark at the nearby home of a man named Obed-Edom the Gittite. The Bible explicitly states, “And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.” While this is a clear example of an object bringing an immense physical and generational blessing to a home, scripture maintains a careful distinction regarding why the blessing happens. The Israelites did not view the Ark as a lucky charm. The Ark was the earthly footstool of God’s throne. Obed-Edom was not blessed by the wood and gold of the chest itself; he was blessed by the holy presence of God that resided over the object.
   
   From this moment forward as we live each day, let’s take a closer look at the true blessings in our life. Let’s continue to thank God for his provision in our lives.. I am so overjoyed at the things happening at the House of Welcome.. but it isn’t the new pews, new lighting or the new shirts that are the blessing, it is the spiritual growth among God’s people that I am seeing, it’s the stronger fellowship that I am witnessing, it’s the expansion of His kingdom and WE GET TO BE A PART OF IT. We are SO richly blessed at the House of Welcome, and I thank God for it.
   
   **Edit: I write this piece 9/22 and left it in Drafts to come back to proofread. This morning the devotion at work fits so perfectly with this, so I am going to attach so I can share.**

Love you all,

Elizabeth Grace.