The Spiritual Life #52 - Blessing as a Means of Spiritual Growth

Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

Blessing as a Means to Spiritual Growth

God’s blessings are intentional expressions of His character and His grace. He blesses all humanity with the gifts of life, provision, and the sustaining order of creation that reflects His goodness. As Jesus declared, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:45). Likewise, Paul explained that God “did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). In these passages, God’s grace is freely given to all, and this because He is gracious by nature. Yet, His blessings toward His children are of a richer kind, flowing from a covenant relationship that imparts both spiritual and temporal benefits (Eph 1:3; Jam 1:17). These blessings not only make life enjoyable but also serve as reminders of the Giver Himself, calling believers to gratitude, humility, and faithful stewardship. God entrusts His children with resources, whether material, relational, or spiritual, so that they might use them for His glory and the good of others (1 Cor 4:2; 2 Cor 9:8-11; 1 Pet 4:10).

Scripture affirms that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jam 1:17). The Hebrew word bārak (בָּרַךְ), often used in the Old Testament (Gen 12:2-3; Num 6:24; Psa 103:2), carries the sense of endowing with benefit, prosperity, or favor, and reflects God’s purpose to enrich the lives of His people according to His covenant love. According to Oswalt, “To bless in the OT means ‘to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc.’”[1] It means the one whom God blesses is granted a life marked by richness, abundance, and fullness (John 10:10). Its New Testament counterpart, eulogeō (εὐλογέω), conveys the same idea of divine favor and gracious bestowal, emphasizing both God’s act of blessing His people and their reciprocal act of praising Him in gratitude (Eph 1:3). Paul echoes this truth in the New Testament, teaching that God “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17). These blessings are not only for our personal delight but also to reveal the goodness of the Giver, that our enjoyment might lead us into deeper worship and thanksgiving.

Yet with blessing comes responsibility. Moses warned Israel that prosperity could easily lead to spiritual amnesia, saying, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God…otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them…then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God” (Deut 8:11–14). According to Wiersbe, “If we forget God, then success has a way of making us proud (Deut 8:14), and we forget what we were before the Lord called us.”[2] The danger is that blessings, if received without humility and gratitude, can foster pride and self-sufficiency. Paul raised the same concern when he asked the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). Thus, blessings must be received with gratitude, humility, and a recognition of stewardship under God.

Blessings are also designed to teach us about God’s good nature and His desire to bless His people. David wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things” (Psa 103:2–5). Ross states, “God satisfies us with good things, i.e., things that enhance and benefit our lives, so that we may be renewed (spiritually and/or physically).”[3] God blesses because He is gracious and generous by nature. In the New Testament, Paul affirms that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph 3:20). Blessings therefore serve as tangible reminders that God is good, gracious, and personally involved in the well-being of His people.

Moreover, God blesses His people so they may in turn bless others. This principle is rooted in the Abrahamic covenant. God told Abraham, “And I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). The blessings given to Abraham were never meant to terminate with him but to overflow toward the nations. Fruchtenbaum states, “These blessings upon Abram included both material and spiritual blessings…Since Abram is to be blessed by God, as contained in the first three promises, he is now to become a blessing to others.”[4] Likewise, Paul emphasized to the Corinthians, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor 9:8). Divine provision equips the believer not only to meet his own needs but also to serve generously in the lives of others, making God’s goodness visible in practical ways. Paul further declared, “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:10–11). Ryrie states, “Acts of giving bring rewards in this life and the one to come. The generous giver will be given increasing means to give (multiply your seed for sowing) and increasing fruit.”[5]

Examples throughout Scripture highlight believers who used God’s resources to bless others. Joseph, after being elevated to power in Egypt, used his God-given position and wisdom to preserve life during famine, declaring, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). Boaz used his wealth to provide for Ruth and Naomi, reflecting covenant kindness (cḥesed, חֶסֶד), which would ultimately advance God’s messianic plan (Ruth 2:8–12; 4:9–10). In the New Testament, Barnabas, “who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37), exemplified generosity that fueled the early church’s ministry. Such examples show that God blesses His people not to hoard resources but to distribute them voluntarily in service to others.

Blessings can therefore become instruments of maturity when rightly received. They test the believer no less than trials. The apostle reminded Timothy that those who are rich in this world’s goods must not be “conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim 6:17–18). Blessings rightly used create spiritual capacity, expanding the believer’s effectiveness in both service and witness.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] John N. Oswalt, “285 בָּרַך,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 132.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 63.

[3] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90–150): Commentary, vol. 3, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2016), 235.

[4] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 241–242.

[5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 1857.