Bless others each day of your life

In reading through the Bible, I see a re-occurring theme that we’re blessed to be a blessing.

It would be wonderful to count how many times that concept appears throughout the Bible. One way I keep track of something important to me in the scriptures is to put happy-face stickers on the verses. That way it’s easier to find a teaching such as being a blessing to others and then bring it to mind when I need it most.

I love a quote from a favorite book I’ve read, Without God our week would be: Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Frightday & Shatterday. This is written with a little humor, of course, but also truth. Seven days without God can make one weak. To be a continual blessing to the people we come in contact with, we need daily prayer and Bible reading.

Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s masterpiece, created so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. The Living Bible’s translation really spoke to me: “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.” In other words, blessed to be a blessing.

Certainly, Jesus has called us to follow this line of thinking and he frequently set a personal example. One of my favorite illustrations of this is in John 13:12-17 where he washed others’ dirty feet. He was willing to serve — be a servant — at any time, in any place, on any assignment. Sometimes I’ve felt that God wants me to serve him in an assignment that’s outside of my comfort zone, or what I believe is an area outside of my gifts or skills. But I’ve discovered that in doing this, I’m taught valuable life lessons.

God’s goal for us is to be willing to be a blessing.

In my world, I doubt I’ll be washing dirty feet, but what I often do is simple, such as a sincere smile or a kind word of encouragement. Easy to do throughout the day and what a difference it can make for that person.

I once read a quote that said, “In every day there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact on others and be a blessing!” How wonderful it would be to make every moment count in a positive uplifting manner.

Let’s look for someone that needs encouragement or help in some way instead of simply passing time without purpose. We can make our moments count by remembering we’re blessed to be a blessing.

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Bless others each day of your life."