Introduction

Story – Gift and Blessing

Friends sometimes ask me – what did Natalie get you?

Nothing is almost invariably the reply.
Now, look, I didn’t get Natalie anything for her birthday well, maybe some chocolates but nothing lavish.

Definitions – is that gift is something given to another voluntarily, without charge while blessing is some kind of divine or supernatural aid or reward.

Divine or supernatural aid

Natalie doesn’t need to give me gifts, because she’s, in herself, something better than that – she is a blessing from God Almighty.

Genesis 2:18 – Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Gifts are temporary, blessings are ongoing.

Giving gifts is far easier than being a blessing

In fact, gift-giving can, at times, be very self-serving.

One of the tricks that salespeople use is that gift-giving forces a subtle obligation on the receiver

It was God’s plan to bless everyone through his people

Genesis 12:1-4 – Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The majority of the Old Testament history after that is the story of How Abraham’s offspring did with their original mission.

How well were they being stewards? When they were Holy, things were good, prosperous and peaceful.  However, when they failed at that task, they were evil, awful and downright despicable. 

A lot like us, I might point out.

Adam and Eve were given the task of stewardship over all creation

Genesis 1:27-30 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them,“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.  And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Creation is a blessing for Abraham’s children, one we’re charged with shepherding along with all of God’s children,