Sister Tarpley’s Column: Being a Vessel to Bless Others

“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”  Proverbs 11:24-25.

Word of Life Church of God in Christ in Carrollton, Texas where Dr. Gregory Voss is a Prophet/Pastor has a motto that is printed in their bulletins, on the church bus and inside the sanctuary, “Blessed to be a Blessing;” and one of my favorite scriptures that I read daily states, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  Hebrews 13:15-16.

One of the reasons God entrusts money to us is to bless other Christians by helping to meet their needs.  God uses the transfer of money within the Body of Christ to build unity among Christians.  Sometimes we withhold money that God has designated for someone else that He desires to bless through us, but His will cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient.

It is alleged that a business owner said that God told him to give up a company bonus one year.  God directed him to share his year-end bonus with a certain employee to show his appreciation for him.  The business owner wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter.  When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier.  He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need.  The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him.

God had already planned to provide for the employee through the business owner, but because he was hesitant, he almost missed the opportunity to be an instrument of God in this man’s life.  Even so, he could have prevented the man from having to borrow money.  It was an important lesson for the business owner.

How many people do we let down because we feel that the “harvest” that God has provided us with is all ours?  In our society, the pressure is always on to move up the ladder of material accumulation.  Jesus warned us about this.  If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God’s vessels of financial blessing to others.  Ask the Lord to help you to have an open hand when it comes to blessing others.

The story is told of a man from London who said, “I was walking passed the Stock Exchange in the City of London when I overtook an Orthodox Jew with his black hat and long gray beard.  As one does, I put my arm on his shoulder and gave him the blessing which God gave to Moses to give to Aaron with which he was to bless the Jews.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”  “The Jewish gentleman turned round with a smile.”  God said to Abraham, “Those who bless the Jews will be themselves blessed.”  “You will be blessed!”

“I know, I said, “Ten years ago, I blessed a Jew at Kennedy Airport and I was upgraded to Club class, and this happened again on my next two transatlantic flights.  Every time I blessed a Jew I was upgraded!”

“You’re the man, you’re the man!”  my friend said, “I read that article in the Jewish Chronicle and was just going to tell you the story.”  “We ended up embracing each other on the pavement, no doubt to the astonishment of passing stockbrokers and bankers!”

It has been said, “Unless we pass on what we receive, we will lose it.”  Virtue is always manifested through blessings that you have passed on.  Nothing will be of any importance to you except what you pass on to others.  The Bible states that only what you do for Christ will last.

When you help others, you are obeying God and it’s a win win situation.