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| Wear Your Blessings Well |
Ruth, Ruth, how we thank you for your obedience.
Naomi, Naomi, how we thank you for your wisdom.
Boaz, Boaz, how we thank you for your leadership, compassion, mercy and love.
LORD, our LORD, how we thank you for your faithfulness!
Let me just start by acknowledging that this is the last report I’m doing on the last chapter of Joel Osteen’s Every Day A Friday... I don’t want you to miss out on this monumental blessing!
I set out to do a separate book report on every chapter of this book and with this one, it will be a completed journey, that a great innumerable amount of people will be blessed by it.
The chapter is blessed to be titled, “Wear Your Blessings Well.”
Before I start to share with you what amazing things God has given to Joel to write and what amazing insights God has blessed me with, I want to share this with you first.
Take a look into your closet just for a moment. Look at the clothes, shoes, sneakers, accessories you enjoy wearing. Now ask yourself this question and please answer it honestly between you and God. Do you wear your clothes proudly because of the label that’s on it, or because God is faithful and He has blessed you with a nice wardrobe?
You may be wondering why I asked you this question, and truth be told, the question had an original shape, but as I was typing it out, God directed the words to introduce you into this chapter and to encourage you to “Wear Your Blessings Well.” Amen.
Okay, let’s get right into it... Shall we.
Joel starts by sharing how he earned the nickname and reputation as “The Smiling Preacher” and anyone who has tuned into his service on Sundays, or bought one of his amazing hope-filled books can attest, to the smile that is always awaiting you on the television screen, smart phone, tablet, computer or book sleeve, or in person if you have that great privilege and honor in meeting Ps. Joel Osteen.
Joel shares, how many people have ridiculed him for smiling so much and still do to this day! How they would sarcastically asked, why is he smiling so much for? What’s wrong with him? He couldn’t be that happy?
But I can assure you for anyone who is aware of growth, statistics and downright seeing the attributes of God at work all around us is believing, as the saying goes, “Proof is in the pudding.” Joel has been blessed by God with the largest growing congregation in all the world, and there’s stats to prove it. The church he has the great privilege and honor to lead for The Lord in Lakewood, Texas has an average... I repeat, an average weekly attendance of 45,000 beautiful people and that’s only the numbers in person, not to mention the millions (with an M), that watch online WORLD WIDE!
You may be thinking, why is Flavio bragging about Joel Osteen, but I want you to take in the words, I wrote above one more time but this time realize what’s really going on, my words aren’t bragging about a man, but they’re bragging about God! Amen.
If Pastor Joel is known world-wide by millions to be “The Smiling Preacher” then praise The Lord for finally delivering someone who resembles The Lord’s joy all the time! Amen. We need more smiling preachers in the world, as we have a surplus of people who look as if they walk around with lemons in their mouths all day— Sour faces.
Pastor Joel, you go ahead and keep on smiling that amazing smile The Lord puts on your face everyday. Wear Your Blessings Well. Amen. YOU ARE LOVED.
Joel shares that when he was new to ministry and that nickname started to circulate, he was always tempted to believe that what he was experiencing was wrong. That maybe he shouldn’t be smiling so much. Then he realized he didn’t need to hide God’s blessings. Joel says, “I don’t have to apologize because I smile all the time. I’m wearing my blessing well.” Indeed you are Pastor Joel.
Pastor Joel, shares this promise blessing with all of us in this chapter. When you keep God in first place and do your best to honor Him, the scripture says, “all the blessings shall come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28:2 NKJV).
That means you will come into happiness, increase, promotion, and good breaks, even some that you didn’t necessarily deserve. That’s God rewarding you for walking in His ways.
I don’t know about you, but that sure sounds like keeping God in first place in every area of our lives has amazing benefits. Why wouldn’t we do just that?!
Beloved, keeping God first isn’t as hard as we make it out to be. All we need and most times what we lack, is the willingness to make the necessary decisions instead of making decisions out of necessity, and to create the necessary healthy boundaries in order to allow God to be first. Simple. Am I right? Sure I am. So, let’s dig our heels down and do just that. I can guarantee you, I, we, will not be disappointed by God. His name is on the line Genesis 22:16; Hebrews 6:13.
Joel shares the principle of the verse in scripture above. It’s found in the Old Testament Book of Ruth, that records the account of God blessing those who walk in His ways (and it also explains why I started this book report the way I did. You were wondering, huh?)
Ruth was in a season in her life that she had to walk behind in the fields were the workers were harvesting wheat and she would gather up the leftovers (by the way this action she is doing isn’t stealing but a mandate by God Himself for those who were destitute; the first welfare program if you will Leviticus 19:9-10; Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19; Ruth 2:2) the workers had missed.
One day the owner of those fields, Boaz, told those workers to leave handfuls of wheat on purpose for Ruth. Now Ruth didn’t have to struggle anymore. She didn’t have to work night and day. Ruth came into blessings that were simply dropped at her feet.
Beloved, that’s the perpetual favor of God— He is the miracle! Amen.
Pastor Joel goes onto share that, “Everyone of us can look back and see times where God has left us handfuls of blessings on purpose, something we didn’t deserve, we didn’t have to struggle for, we didn’t even ask for it. We just stumbled into it.”
Pastor Joel raises a challenge for each and everyone one of us: “Don’t apologize for God’s goodness. Don’t downplay what God has done in your life. Don’t make excuses because a friend might be jealous. Don’t try to hide God’s blessings because a co-worker might judge you and think it’s not fair.”
I believe we can all rise to that challenge and be victorious!
Now, Joel goes on to not leave any stone unturned in that he brings to our attention, “I’m not saying you should show off and brag on what you have and how great you are. But you should brag on how great God is.”
Beloved, I want to share a quote from Pastor Joel that has literally been my message since I started to have the great privilege and honor of following The Lord Jesus.
“I’m wearing my blessings well. God has been so good to me I can’t keep it to myself. I’ve got to tell somebody. I once was lost, but now I’m found. I should be dead, but I’m still alive. Look what the Lord has done.”
It’s true. Now I will share two personal stories of how I can brag about what the Lord has done in my life. By the end you will be giving God all the glory and praise and you will see that we learn and grow into the masterpiece that God created us to be. Amen.
The first bragging story on what the Lord has done for me. Came at the age of 18. I was joy riding with my then best friend (Joshua Bennett) and his girlfriend. It was her car. Joshua was driving. I was in the passenger seat (Shotgun!) and his girlfriend was in the back.
We were driving around listening and dancing to music, minding out own business when two decisions were made that could’ve altered the course of my life and there’s as well. As we were going through a residential area actually not too far from where I live now, Joshua decided to go over a water puddle mixed with dirt and soap from a man who was washing his car. That was the first decision made. The second that Joshua and I were not aware of, is that his girlfriend thought it would be funny to stick her middle finger up at him as we went by (although she saw he got soaked by us going over the puddle).
From their we decided to return home to chill at Josh’s house. When we pulled up alongside his house, within seconds of stopping, we heard this loud screeching noise that was getting louder!
This is where I will brag on my amazing, compassionate and merciful God. It’s as if time slowed down, and when I looked to my right, I saw within a cloud of smoke a man so furious, his face looked distorted and accompanying the smoke, the furious face, was a gun within an inch from my face!
You may be freaking out by this so far, but I haven’t even begun to share my God’s ability to intervene and saved lives.
Now let me remind you, it’s as if, time was slowed down, and as I was looking in this infuriated man’s direction as he cursed and spot flew from his mouth describing what was done and what she did, I could see his finger pressing all the way back on the trigger and the barrel of his (what seemed to be the longest Dirty Harry looking gun the world has ever seen) gun was rotating around and I could clearly see the bullets as well. I saw the explosion from the bullets being fired, yet nothing happened to me. To brag on my God some more, I actually turned my face from his direction to make sure that Joshua and his girlfriend were okay, and they were crouched down in their seats frightened. When I looked back towards the man to start apologizing and calming him down from what we had done to him, my God protected me and removed the man from our sight as quickly as he showed up.
Now that’s my great God! Showing off in my life. Amen and Hallelujah!
These words Pastor Joel wrote sure are appropriate, that I will mention them again. This time if you have been through such things and God faithfully and miraculously saved you from it, Give Him all the praise and glory!
“I’m wearing my blessings well. God has been so good to me I can’t keep it to myself. I’ve got to tell somebody. I once was lost, but now I’m found. I should be dead, but I’m still alive. Look what the Lord has done.”
The second story isn’t quite dramatic as the first. In fact! It’s no where near the vicinity of dramatic, but it will show how although God is a God who blesses His creation perpetually, even when we recognize it and brag about Him, because of those who aren’t blessed we can downplay His blessings.
One day my mother and my uncle “Chiqui” were sitting by the kitchen in my aunts house and they were checking their blood pressure and blood sugar. They are two individuals who take their meds like clockwork and believed medicine was the answer. I on the other hand am known for not wanting to take my meds, and rarely checking my levels. After both of them checked their levels and saw that although they ate better, took their medicine regularly their levels were always high.
So I decided to check my levels as it had been some time since I last did it. When I checked my levels, my blood pressure wasn’t high nor blood sugar. My mother said, ‘why if I take my meds and eat right, my levels are always high, and you who don’t eat right and don’t take your meds, have normal levels?”
I responded with simplicity and assurance in Whom is my blessing and reward, in that I said, “Because I’m blessed by God.”
My mother gave me this look as to say, “stop being a showoff!” Which made me downplay The Lord’s blessing over my life and in that moment, I didn’t wear my blessing well. But not anymore! It’s all about Jesus, and it’s all to the glory of God! Amen.
Beloved, I shared one truly miraculous story and another story showing what bragging on our God does, but how our ability to keep it up can easily shift if others don’t believe, receive or declare such blessings over their lives. But the good need is, we don’t have to allow others to continuously cause us to downplay anything God has done for us, is doing in us and will accomplish through us! All we need to do is keep believing that our great God has, is and will always do exactly what He said He would do— That’s how we can please God and continuously brag about Him to this world! Amen.
Joel goes onto add some words of wisdom that we can all benefit from, “If you want to please God and live in happiness, don’t brag around broke, defeated or depressed. Wear your blessings well. Step up to a new level. Enjoy God’s favor. Be proud of who you are and of what God has done in your life.”
As the scripture declares, “It’s impossible to please God without faith.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Beloved, faith in God brings God’s favor, and His favor brings blessings. When you wear those blessings well, you’re giving God the glory and saying, ‘This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in my eyes.’ (Psalm 118:23)
Beloved, Pastor Joel goes onto speak about, not being ashamed of what God has done for you in your life because He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His children (Psalm 35:27). He also shares how we are all to he examples of what it is to be a child of the Most High God. How we need to enlarge our vision because God owns it all! As the scripture declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” That any sort of promotion comes from God and not from God (see Psalm 75:6-7). And when times may seem so tough; so bleak, God can cause His children to prosper and be blessed in order to brag about how great their God is (see Genesis 26).
Therefore, do not worry what the naysayers and back biters... The haters of the world will say, because generational blessings are handed down by the faithful who came before us. Much of the blessings we as children of God through forgiveness and salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as the resurrected Son of God, receive are now visibly and eternally reaping. This has been the legacy of generational blessings from God to His people; to His children, throughout all creation for as long as there has been time. Amen.
We may not all become the next great author, Forbes 500 CEO, or privileged leader of a mega church, but we can certainly make waves and impact change right where we are at. Just as every step is systematic, we too, can grow step by step. Wave by wave. Impact by impact, until this whole world knows that God alone is the One who blesses and blesses and blesses. Amen.
My Takeaway and bragging Prayer of Praise: Beloved, let’s finish strong!
Wearing my blessings from God well, has nothing to do with bragging about what I can do, or what I have. It has everything to do with what God is generously doing in my life, because of what Jesus generously did on the Cross. We may not all reap a harvest of financial blessings but we can all certainly reap the endless joy of the Lord in every moment of everyday in every season, if we keep God first, never downplay His blessings and continue to believe and declare over our lives and the lives of others what great things God has, can and will do— that’s faith in action!
Father and God, You alone are the One who blesses and blesses and blesses. You take delight when your children prosper. You alone cause your children to flourish when everything is saying it is impossible. You alone break the ties of bondage that keeps your children from experiencing the riches of your glory through our risen Lord Jesus! Hallelujah! I confess that I have downplayed my blessings from you, but I also confess, this will happen no more! Thank you for your everlasting faithfulness and willingness to bless all that you have created. I stand back and see by this book report on chapter twenty-seven that you our great God hit yet another Grand Slam out of the park. You exceedingly went above and beyond all that I could pray for or even think of! I am blessed to have this writing ministry, and countless people will be blessed by it as well! Look! This is the Lord’s doing and we can all proclaim, it is MARVELOUS in our eyes! This I pray, that You, faithful and true will continue to amaze us and cause everything we do in your name, to produce a generational harvest of blessing for all future generations to be supremely blessed by it, and always be able to brag on You! In Jesus magnificent name, we brag on and we pray. Amen.
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