Blessed to Be a Blessing: God's Purpose Revealed

Devotional

Day 1: Blessed to Be a Blessing

God’s blessing is not just for our own benefit, but so that through us, all nations might come to know Him. The story of God’s people has always been about receiving His grace and favor, not as an end in itself, but as a means to reveal His saving power to the world. When we ask for God’s blessing, we are invited to remember that His gifts are given so that His way may be known on earth and His saving power among all nations. Our lives are meant to be a conduit of God’s goodness, drawing others to praise and worship Him as they see His work in us. [22:23]

Psalm 67:1-7 (ESV)
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him.

Reflection: In what specific way can you use a blessing God has given you—whether time, resources, or encouragement—to intentionally bless someone outside your usual circle this week?

Day 2: The Fulfillment of Blessing in Jesus

Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to bless all nations, the very way by which God’s love and salvation are made known to the world. From the earliest promises to Abraham, God’s plan was to bless His people so that through them, every family on earth would be blessed. This promise finds its completion in Jesus, who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature, the one who makes purification for sins and opens the way to the Father. In Christ, God’s love is made tangible, and through Him, the invitation to eternal life is extended to all. [34:25]

John 14:1-6 (ESV)
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Reflection: How does knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life shape the way you approach your relationships and your daily decisions?

Day 3: Love as the Mark of God’s People

The defining mark of those who have received God’s blessing is love—love for one another and for the world, just as Christ has loved us. This love is not optional or secondary; it is the very evidence that we have truly understood and received God’s grace. When we love others, especially those who are difficult to love, we reveal to the world the nature of God’s love and make His blessing visible. If we fail to love, we show that we have not grasped the heart of God’s blessing. Love is the natural overflow of a heart transformed by God’s grace. [39:51]

John 13:34-35 (ESV)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Reflection: Who is one person you find difficult to love right now, and what is one practical step you can take this week to show them Christlike love?

Day 4: Pursue Love Above All

All spiritual gifts and blessings are meaningless without love; love is the greatest and most excellent way. No matter what gifts, talents, or resources we possess, if we do not have love, we gain nothing. Love is patient, kind, and enduring, and it is the one thing we are commanded to pursue above all else. God’s steadfast love poured out on us in Jesus is what we truly need, and as we pursue love, we become vessels of His blessing to others. Everything else is temporary, but the love of God endures forever. [43:57]

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (ESV)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are tempted to value gifts, achievements, or recognition over love, and how can you intentionally pursue love in that area today?

Day 5: Obedience as a Witness to God’s Love

Walking in obedience to God is not about earning His favor, but about trusting His wisdom and demonstrating His love to the world. When we use the blessings God has given us as He intends—loving others, serving, forgiving, and blessing—we become a living testimony to His goodness. Obedience is not transactional; it is the natural response to a God who loves us with an unchanging, steadfast love. As we walk in His ways, we point others to Jesus and invite them to experience the blessing of knowing Him. [49:06]

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (ESV)
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?

Reflection: Is there an area where you have been resisting God’s direction or holding back in obedience? What would it look like to trust Him and step forward in faith this week?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 67 invites us to consider the purpose of God’s blessing in our lives. The psalm echoes the ancient priestly blessing from Numbers 6, but shifts from a pronouncement to a prayer: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us.” This blessing is not an end in itself. From the very beginning, God’s intention in blessing his people—starting with Abraham—was so that they would be a blessing to all nations. God’s people are chosen not for exclusivity, but to be conduits of his grace, revealing his saving power and love to the world.

Throughout history, human rulers have failed to judge and guide with equity, but God alone rules the nations with perfect justice and wisdom. The psalmist recognizes that the world desperately needs God’s guidance and salvation. The ultimate fulfillment of God’s blessing is found in Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love, the one through whom all nations are invited into God’s family. The love of God, poured out in Christ, is not a small or limited gift—it is lavish, abundant, and transformative.

This love is not meant to be hoarded. The church is called to be the vessel through which God’s love is made visible to the world. The chief evidence of having received God’s love is our love for others—especially for those who are difficult to love, even our enemies. If we fail to love, we reveal that we have not truly grasped the depth of God’s love for us. God’s blessing is not primarily about material prosperity or comfort, but about being filled with his Spirit, transformed by his love, and sent out to bless others.

We are blessed to be a blessing. Every gift, every act of grace we receive, is entrusted to us so that we might point others to Jesus. When we use God’s blessings for ourselves alone, we fall into the same pattern of idolatry that has plagued humanity since the beginning. But when we walk in obedience, loving God and loving others, we become living demonstrations of God’s steadfast love, drawing the nations to praise him.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s blessing is always given with a purpose beyond ourselves. From Abraham to the church today, God blesses his people so that his way and saving power might be known among all nations. We are not the end point of God’s grace, but the means by which his love is revealed to the world. [25:17]
2. The justice and guidance of God stand in stark contrast to human leadership. While history is full of rulers who have failed to judge fairly, God alone rules with perfect equity and wisdom. His restraint and guidance are what keep the world from descending into chaos, and his people are called to trust and reflect that justice. [28:36]
3. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s blessing and the way to the Father. The love of God is not abstract or distant, but made tangible in the person of Jesus Christ. Through him, we receive not just forgiveness, but adoption, redemption, and the lavish outpouring of God’s love. [34:25]
4. The true evidence of having received God’s love is our love for others. If we truly understand and experience God’s grace, it will overflow in love for our neighbors, our community, and even our enemies. Failing to love others reveals a failure to grasp the heart of God. [41:15]
5. God’s blessing is not primarily about material or even spiritual gifts, but about love. All other blessings—gifts, talents, resources—are empty without love. We are called to pursue love above all, using every blessing we receive to point others to Jesus and to be a blessing to the world. [43:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:23] - Reading Psalm 67
[23:18] - The Priestly Blessing and Its Shift
[25:17] - God’s Purpose in Blessing Abraham
[27:10] - Blessing for the Sake of the Nations
[28:36] - God’s Justice vs. Human Rule
[29:37] - The Consequences of Unrestrained Nations
[30:30] - The Fulfillment of Blessing in Christ
[31:44] - What Is “The Way” in Psalm 67?
[32:40] - Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life
[34:25] - God’s Love Manifested in Jesus
[36:54] - The Lavishness of God’s Love
[39:51] - Love as the Mark of God’s People
[43:05] - The True Nature of God’s Blessing
[43:57] - Pursuing Love Above All
[46:17] - The Enduring Steadfast Love of God
[47:54] - The Danger of Misusing God’s Blessings
[49:06] - The Church as a Vessel of Blessing
[50:05] - Loving Even Our Enemies
[52:33] - Prayer and Sending Forth

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 67 (ESV) — > May God be gracious to us and bless us
> and make his face to shine upon us,
> that your way may be known on earth,
> your saving power among all nations.
> Let the peoples praise you, O God;
> let all the peoples praise you!
> Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
> for you judge the peoples with equity
> and guide the nations upon earth.
> Let the peoples praise you, O God;
> let all the peoples praise you!
> The earth has yielded its increase;
> God, our God, shall bless us.
> God shall bless us;
> let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Observation Questions

What is the main request the psalmist makes of God in Psalm 67? What is the reason given for this request? ([22:23])
How does the psalmist describe God’s role among the nations, especially compared to human rulers? ([28:36])
According to the sermon, what is the connection between the blessing given to Abraham and the purpose of God’s blessing in Psalm 67? ([25:17])
What does the psalmist expect will happen as a result of God blessing his people? ([31:44])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says God’s blessing is not an end in itself, but has a purpose beyond us. What does it mean for God’s people to be “conduits” of his grace rather than the end point? ([25:17])
The psalmist says God “judges the peoples with equity and guides the nations.” How does this contrast with the way human rulers lead, according to the sermon? ([28:36])
The sermon claims that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s blessing. In what ways does Jesus embody and reveal God’s love to the world? ([34:25])
The sermon says the true evidence of having received God’s love is our love for others, even our enemies. Why is loving others, especially those who are hard to love, such a central mark of God’s people? ([39:51])

Application Questions

The sermon says, “We are blessed to be a blessing.” Think about a recent way God has blessed you—how could you use that blessing to point someone else to Jesus this week? ([25:17])
The psalmist prays for God’s blessing so that “your way may be known on earth.” What are some practical ways you can make God’s way and saving power known in your neighborhood, workplace, or family? ([22:23])
The sermon highlights that God’s love is “lavish, abundant, and transformative.” Is there an area of your life where you struggle to believe God’s love is really that big? How might believing this change your attitude or actions? ([36:54])
The sermon challenges us to love not just those who are easy to love, but even our enemies. Is there someone in your life right now who is hard for you to love? What is one step you could take this week to show them love? ([50:05])
The sermon warns that using God’s blessings only for ourselves is a form of idolatry. Are there blessings in your life that you tend to “hoard” or keep to yourself? What would it look like to share them? ([47:54])
The sermon says, “All other blessings—gifts, talents, resources—are empty without love.” Is there a way you are using your gifts or resources that could be more loving or others-focused? ([43:57])
The church is called to be a vessel of God’s love to the world. What is one way our small group could work together to be a blessing in our community this month? ([49:06])

Sermon Clips

``We deserve judgment, we deserve wrath, but instead he shows us grace, and he shows us mercy. He shows us his love. And not just a little bit of love. Not just a crumb. But in Ephesians 1, Paul says that he lavishes his love on us. It is an overabundance. It is more than we could ever possibly need or understand. But that is the love with which he has loved us. That is the love that he has shown us in Jesus Christ, is an overabundant, overflowing, all -consuming love. [00:38:04] (46 seconds) #LoveCompelsLove

If we have understood God's love for us, his grace towards us, then there is no way that we cannot fail to love other people. It is just natural. That is the natural overflow of us understanding God's love is we will love others. But if we fail to love others, if we are not pouring out to them the blessing that we have received, then we are, then we are revealing that we haven't actually understood the very first thing about who God is. [00:41:00] (37 seconds) #LoveRevealsGod

The way that God is revealing himself to the world is love. And he reveals his way by lavishing his love on his people, not just so that his people can receive his love, but so that through them the world can come to know, to understand, and to trust his love as well. [00:41:38] (22 seconds) #JesusIsTheBlessing

All of those other gifts that God can give you, spiritual gifts, physical gifts, if you have those things and lack love, then all of those other things are without value. They're pointless. They are worthless. And so when he transitions into what we have as 1 Corinthians 14, that very first verse says, pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. So there is one thing that we are to pursue. It is not the physical blessings or even the spiritual gifts, but the thing that we are told to pursue is love. [00:45:13] (53 seconds) #SteadfastLoveEndures

But that blessing that we have been given is both for us and also not really about us. We have been blessed to be a blessing. The point isn't just to make our life better. But the point is for these gifts that God has given us. This love that he has poured out on us to point others to Jesus. To be a blessing to the nations. [00:47:10] (29 seconds) #MisuseLeadsToPain

We have been loved by our creator to love others and through that love to bless them with the knowledge of their creator who loves them. And the church then is supposed to be a vessel for the blessing, for the love of God to be demonstrated. [00:48:47] (19 seconds) #ObedienceBeyondTransaction

The church is a vessel for the blessing of God to be demonstrated. We demonstrate that blessing by loving others. Not just loving those people who are easy to love. Not just loving those people who don't offend us. But Jesus said to love even our enemies. To love even those who seek to harm us. To do good to those who persecute us. Because in doing so, we are revealing to the nations the saving power of the way of Jesus Christ. Who loved us while we were still his enemies. [00:50:05] (54 seconds) #BlessingInvitesFaith

But we need to constantly remember, as a church and as individuals, that while we enjoy God's blessing, if we fail to use that blessing to be a blessing to others, then we are misusing what God has given us. And when we misuse what God has given us, we are saying that we know better than he does what to do with his blessings. And we reveal that it is still ourselves that we are trusting in, not in him. [00:51:51] (34 seconds) #ChosenToBlessTheWorld

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