The Idea of a Blessed Life

The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is called the “Beatitudes.” This is because the first word that Jesus utters is “makarioi” ( Μακάριοι) in Greek. Our English Bibles translate this as blessed, happy, bliss, spiritually prosperous, joy, etc. A lot of options have been chosen over the years by various translation committees. It is a difficult word to capture in its fullness of expression. However, it has to do with being in a state of spiritual well-being flowing from the goodness of God. In the ancient Greek world it originally carried the idea of being “free from daily cares and worries.” In Jewish usage it tended to focus on one’s well-being. By Jesus’ day these pronouncements of blessings did two things at once: conveyed God’s desire for covenant life, and served to prepare the hearer for living the “kingdom life’ in view of the end times.

The idea of a blessed life is rooted in the Old Testament concept of blesses and curses. Deuteronomy 11 is a good example of where Israel as a nation is challenged to love and serve the Lord.  This is God’s challenge to Israel:

²⁶ “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: ²⁷ the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, ²⁸ and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”

        Blessings coming from God are closely associated with ethical choices to honor Him. The Psalms of David commence with a “blessing” for the entire book. This blessing is also attached to the choice one makes of NOT walking in counsel of the ungodly, NOR standing in the way of sinners, NOR sitting in the seat of the scornful (see Psalm 1:1).

        ASHRE (’aš·rê, אַשְׁרֵ֣י Hebrew) “blessed,” is the state before God that one occupies when heart, life, love and commitment are the choices made to honor Him. The entire book of Psalms. In the Greek Old Testament this word “blessed” is the same word that Jesus begins the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. An amazing and challenging study would be to trace down all of the times “blessed” is used in the book of Psalms to get the big idea of what being blessed means.

        In Psalm 2:12 the reader/hearer is reminded that allegiance alone is due to the “Son.” This is because  “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” The idea of taking refuge in the Son is foundational to how we understand the blessed life in Jesus today. Refuge has to do with shelter, protection, dependence and safety. Such dependence is vital to living the blessed life.

          In the Old Testament, which provides the early basic lens for our seeing what blessedness is all about, being blessed has to do fundamentally with making life choices that honor God, depending upon Him for all of life, and living in a condition of God’s undeserved favor. This undeserved favor (grace) becomes the very air we breathe as Christians.

          Are we aware on a daily basis what it means to live the blessed life?

            Is it possible today to live a blessed and blissful life in such turmoil as we see in the news every day? Is it even possible to live free from daily cares and worries?

         We may wonder what this has to do with Christian transformational leadership? Plenty! Years ago I was privileged to hear a presentation from Dr. Tony Ash from Abilene Christian University at the Geneva Encampment in Wisconsin on summer. He brought a series of lessons from the epistle of 1 John. I will never forget his reminder that leaders are in the business of blessing and not bossing! My, how we need to hear this today!

           More than anything, Christian transformational leaders model what the blessed life looks like. There is a conscious effort of intentionally vocalizing and rehearses to others what God has done in one's life. There is a conscious and intentional effort to be grateful for what God is doing through our lives to touch the lives of others who may feel like they are not blessed. And, certainly, Christian leaders must model their dependence upon God.

          May God continue to bless us with the blessed life!

In Christian love, Curtis

“The Bliss of a Blessed Life”

           

The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is called the “Beatitudes.” This is because the first word that Jesus utters is “makarioi” ( Μακάριοι) in Greek. Our English Bibles translate this as blessed, happy, bliss, spiritually prosperous, joy, etc. A lot of options have been chosen over the years by various translation committees. It is a difficult word to capture in its fullness of expression. However, it has to do with being in a state of spiritual well-being flowing from the goodness of God. In the ancient Greek world it originally carried the idea of being “free from daily cares and worries.” In Jewish usage it tended to focus on one’s well-being. By Jesus’ day these pronouncements of blessings did two things at once: conveyed God’s desire for covenant life, and served to prepare the hearer for living the “kingdom life’ in view of the end times.

            Is it possible today to live a blessed and blissful life in such turmoil as we see in the news every day? Is it even possible to live free from daily cares and worries?  

            The volatility of financial markets threaten retirement plans of peaceful bliss. Health issues and aging threaten long term plans for peaceful bliss. Broken and betrayed relationships mar plans for peaceful bliss. Everywhere we turn life has a way of being chaotic, unpredictable, painful and unfair. The bliss of a blessed life almost seems to be a “pipe dream.”

            How do Christian transformational leaders function in times like these? Is there a glimmer of hope in what “blessed” means? Can such leaders live “the bliss of a blessed life?” If so, what does it look like?

            To my mind the following aspects of “blessedness” present themselves to the wise, understanding transformational leader.

            First, there is the power of a spoken blessing to others. In the Old Testament world there was the known reality of spoken blessings and curses. Words were understood to have power. This undoubtedly comes from the Genesis narrative of God speaking and the creative process occurred. Spoken blessings have a creative power. When we encourage and bless others, that creates motivation and goodwill that is so much needed in organizations and groups today.

            Second, such leaders embody a way of life coming from a center of understanding and experiencing the goodness of God. Remember the old hymn, “Showers of Blessings?” Christian transformational leaders lead from a heart of gratefulness that sees untold blessings poured out on them daily. Living a grateful life as a response to God’s goodness alters everything. From such a posture, thanks can be given constantly. Being blessed produces words of blessing to God!

            Third, a deep reliance on the goodness of God erases paralyzing worry. When we count our blessings one by one, that very process itself crowds out worry. Worry can take over, divide the human spirit, fill the mind and heart with anxiety, and paralyze decisions. Living a blessed life means we do not let worry define our thought-world, neither will we allow worry and anxiety dictate how we treat others. Worry unchecked leads to the fruit of fear. As Christian leaders we model for others what such deep reliance on God without crippling worry looks like.

            Fourth, the state of our blessedness is a serendipitous blessing of our covenant relationship with God. Because of our covenant relationship with God, we stand knee-deep before God in blessings. That blessed state is like the air we breathe. Every day and every moment is a divine gift. Our very life is a gift. The giftedness of the moment is the intangible blessing of being in covenant relationship with God. As Christian leaders we model for others that kind of life.

            Finally, the blessed life now is but a taste of the blessed life yet to come! Taste. What an interesting word for the spiritual life of leaders. We tend to think of taste related to our trip to the restaurant. But “taste” is the experiential and existential personal journey of faith we enjoy with God now. It is also the “fore-taste” of what is yet to be. Christian leaders have a spiritual vision that can see what many others cannot. This God-given vision encourages others to taste and see that the Lord is good. Then, and only then, can others envision the possibility of what the taste might be for the future with God!

            O, the bliss of the blessed life of the Christian transformational leader!

    In Christian love, Curtis