Consider Yourself Blessed

~~~ Joel 4:12-21 ~~~ Psalm 97 ~~~ Luke 11:27-28 ~~~

 

Jesus defines true Blessedness.

Blessedness......Happiness.

 

At an initial reading it seems Jesus is being irreverent

 to his own mother, Mary.

But in further research we see this is definitely not the case.

Mary is referred to as blessed in several other verses.

Mary is the woman who carried the Word in her womb.

She brought Jesus into the world.

She was chosen by God as a pure holy vessel for his Son.

Mary knew she was blessed from the time the angel spoke to her.

Jesus does not need to defend the blessedness of his mother. 

 

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”

This woman was calling out a complement to Jesus and to his mother.
Jesus' response was extending the blessing beyond his mother.

Jesus is saying that those who hear the word of God

and obey it; they too are blessed.

Being blessed is something available to each of us.

Yes, we are included in those who hear and act.

 

It is one thing to be blessed because you are the mother of Mary;

 it is another to be granted the equivalent

for living what you heard.

 

 

Jesus extends his blessing to us.

Have you stopped to count your blessings lately?

Are your blessings a source of joy?

 

Mary was blessed with Jesus, but we can be just as blessed.

God knows what we need to be blessed in our life.

Trust that he is providing those blessings to you daily.
Can you identify them?

 

Jesus answers the woman in the crowd without

embarrassing her by his response.

He is telling her she too can share in the same flow of blessings

as the one who birthed and nursed him.

We are called into the family of God.
He blesses us let us be glad and rejoice.
It is only in God that we can find our joy and our rest.
It is precisely because God chooses to bless us that
we have any joy in our lives.