YOU CARRY THE BLESSING

Mark 10:29-30 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

There is a natural human tendency to want to share good news only with those who will celebrate with us. Where I come from, it is even more pronounced where people are less likely to share news of any successes chalked or advancements made with anybody whom they believe “does not wish them well”; such people are just not invited into their space.

Before Jesus makes those comments stated in the verses above, Peter made a statement which is presented to sound extremely mild coming from someone like Peter. In fact, he was making a strong demand which can be paraphrased as ‘look, Jesus, we have sacrificed literally everything to follow you, what will we gain in the long run? The pair of words that caught my eye in the whole of Jesus’ answer given in response to Peter’s demands were ‘with persecutions’.

The most interesting thing about this is Jesus promised abundance even in the midst of persecution. Beloved, bear in mind that the blessing of God is not only location or situation dependent. They do not come only when we are alienated or isolated and surrounded solely by friends and family with lots of good days. Actually, according to the words of a popular Psalm, ‘he sets a table before me in the presence of my foes:(Ps 23:5a) hence in whatever situation you find yourself,  know that the blessings of God can locate you.

In Genesis 26:1, we read of a famine in the land and Isaac contemplated departing to Egypt but God prevented him. Twelve verses after this fact is made known, we read ‘Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him’. When he was surrounded by famine, he still sowed and reaped a hundredfold. The news for you is so simple: wherever you are, whatever you do, it is the blessing of the Lord that maketh a man and those blessings can reach you no matter what.

Remember # the blessings are not only in the land, they are upon the person-YOU are a carrier of the blessings.