By Waylon Bailey
Very few things in life are more important than being blessed.
When Jacob stole the blessing from Esau, Esau’s pain was deep and intense. As Esau came to his father and realized that Isaac had given Esau’s blessing to his brother Jacob, he cried out in pain “bless me also my father!” The blessing had real significance.
We all need to be blessed.
What can you do to bless the people around you?
First, catch them doing something right and commend them for it.
That’s exactly what Paul did when he wrote his letter to the church at Philippi.
When the the people at the church at Philippi heard Paul had been imprisioned, they received an offering for Paul and send it to him. They wanted to help Paul in his need. They even sent their pastor to stay with Paul and minister to him as he waited in prison for a verdict about his life or death.
Though Paul was in prison, he saw the need to “bless” the people of the church at Philippi. He wrote to commend them and to thank them for their ministry.
We are blessing others when we commend them for their good actions.
Second, pray for people and their needs and let them know that you are praying. Paul told the church “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you” (Philippians 1:3-4).
What a blessing to know people are praying for you. What an even greater blessing when someone takes a brief moment to say, “let me pray for you”.
Third, show appreciation for the faithfulness and ministry of the people around you. Paul did this by reminding the people that they had formed a partnership to work the works of God and to do the things which pleased Him.
Finally, show your fellow believers how God is working in their lives. Assure them that they can count on God.
Paul did this with the people at Philippi. He assured them that the One who had saved them in the beginning would carry them through to the very end.
What a blessing to know that you can count on God and have the encouragement of God’s presence with you always.
God blesses us, and He wants us to be a blessing to others.
As we bless others, we will be more and more like God and we will encourage the people around us.
Waylon Bailey is pastor of First Baptist Church in Covington. This editorial first appeared in Bailey’s daily blog.
