LEARNING DAILY

Numbers 6:22-27, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

This weekend, Community Bible Church recognized the graduates, those who had graduated with any level of degree “which made one’s life better”. Three other pastors from the church joined Pastor Ed Newton to preach a message on the Priestly Prayer as a blessing over the graduates.

The first pastor spoke on “The Lord bless you and keep you”. The point he was making was “God desires a personal relationship with you”. He began by defining the word “bless” by saying it means to bow or kneel down and explained it as God kneeling down to look at His child in his/her eyes. It is a way to know them personally and about a relationship. He explained that this relationship is based on what Jesus did on the cross and the individual’s accepting what He did in faith. He said that God wants to have a personal relationship with each of His children and warned that God and His word must not become too stale or familiar. The meaning was people must not use godly language (such as God bless you!) without having a personal relationship with Him. He finished his part of the message with God knows how to keep you! Not only is our relationship based on God’s blessing, it is based on knowing that He is keeping us. He tests us and sustains us through it and all the temptations/trials we face as we walk that narrow way!

The next pastor spoke on, “The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you”. The point He made was God declares His pleasure over you. He began by asking us to consider that the God of all creation, who holds all of the universe together, pays attention to each of those who are a part of His family. Stop reading and do not read further until you consider that statement. Because you are His child, he pays attention to you; God delights in you! Because of that His full attention is on you and does not initiate or allow anything in your life that is not for your good. You may not “feel” or think about His watching you, but He is and delights in you. He never stops watching you. There is no need to go to anyone or anything else to find your acceptance or get approval. The only thing that breaks that fellowship is sin and He is always near to forgive when we confess it and thank Him for His forgiveness.

The third pastor spoke to “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace”. His point was God desires to deliver prosperity to you. No, he did not preach the “prosperity gospel” that says God wants each of us to be rich, wear designer clothes, and drive a Porsche. Be aware of anyone elevating material wealth over spiritual wealth. To focus on material wealth is to preach a false gospel. The prosperity in this blessing is a spiritual blessing; it is God’s smile of approval over His children – a smile of approval over who we are in Him. He concluded his message with the peace God gives. It is a “peace with God” which occurs when we place our faith and trust in His Son. God loves us and wants a relationship with us. It is a ‘peace from God’; to whom and where do you run when things are not going so well? He stated that the world’s peace is only temporary; God’s peace is not based on circumstances – His peace is in spite of the circumstances we face. And the peace of God passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). God’s peace within you will be seen by those around you and present an opportunity to tell them why you are at peace.

As a Believer and Follower of Jesus Christ, God’s name is on you. Because of that God blesses you. I hope you will take a moment to go back and read this placing your name in the various points made by these pastors. God desires so much to have a relationship with you each and every day! I am so much in awe of that!