BLESSINGS COME TO THOSE WHO BLESS OTHERS

Proclamation:

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

Explanation:

Abraham, the father of the faithful, was initially called Abram but The Lord God changed his name. (Genesis 17:5)  Abraham walked in the ways of The Lord and was obedient when God told him to leave his homeland without telling where he was going. (Genesis 12:1)  God said that He would bless him and make a great nation out of him and make his name great. (Genesis 12:2)  The nation refers to Israel.  The three great religions of the world, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, all hold Abraham in great respect.  God also said that He would bless the people who blessed Abraham, and that all of the people on earth would be blessed through him.  The earthly genealogy of Jesus, The Christ, can be linked to Abraham. (Matthew 1:1-16)  That is how all of the people on earth were blessed through Abraham.

Application:

When God said, "I will bless those who bless you ..." He was clearly talking directly to Abraham.  It can also be said, however, that He was talking to us today.  That would be consistent with the statement in Proverbs 11:25, "... and he that watereth shall be watered also himself" (KJV) or as stated another way, "... he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (NIV)  He that blesses others shall himself be blessed.  Because we are believers, God will bless those who are a blessing to us, and He will bless us for being a blessing to others.