The Notes

This coming Wednesday night, November 26, 2025, we are online only for a devotional message for Thanksgiving.  Life doesn't have to be perfect for us to be thankful.  A perfect life is rare.  Having everything you want is not possible.  But there is a way to have thanks in your heart and celebrate Thanksgiving.  Join us online at 6:00 p.m. for some mid-week encouragement for the soul. 

If you can't join us in person, you can always participate through our Facebook page - we go "live" at 6:00 p.m., and you will have a front row seat.  If you can't join us live, there are 3 ways to watch the message later - on Facebook, or on YouTube, or here on our website.  Messages are posted the following day and you can watch a replay of any message anytime!  

If you want to keep some notes from a message, you can download the notes for a specific message from the "Past and Future Messages" page of our website.  There are many ways to be spiritually fed and encouraged.

This past Wednesday night, November 19, 2025, our topic was on the word "blessed."  It may not mean what you think it means.  

Psalm 1:1 says: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.”   

The “law of the Lord” isn’t just a set of rules; it reveals God’s character.  And the law is a guide for living in a relationship with God.  So what David is saying is that  those who walk with God – who have a daily relationship with God – are blessed.

But is that what it means to be blessed?  Most people think of blessed as having material goods . . . lots of possessions . . . success in life . . . a great job with high income.  But is that blessed?  It’s easy to equate blessed with prosperity.  It’s an idea rooted in the Old Testament.  Read Deuteronomy chapter 28.  It begins like this: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God."  And then Moses lists a multitude of blessings.  But notice, those were conditioned on obedient living.  

The New Testament gives us a different reality of blessed.   Peter – who learned about being blessed straight from Jesus – said: “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” – 1 Peter 3:14.  According to this, we can be blessed, but still have problems . . . still suffer.  And Peter isn’t just saying we will be blessed later . . . in the after life.  A common idea people have is that if things are good, we’re blessed; but if we have problems, we’re cursed, not blessed. But it’s not a Biblical idea.  And we need to be very careful about trying to learn spiritual lessons from non-believers. 

The truth is, we encounter difficulties in life and then wonder what we’ve done wrong.  We ask God why we've going through this challenge or loss when we've been trying to live for Him.  It happens to all of us, when we’re unemployed . . . when a loved one is ill . . . when we didn’t get that promotion . . . when that prayer didn't get answered in the way we hoped.  Here is the reality - the spiritual truth that comes straight from the Bible - if blessing is only material prosperity, success, and personal well-being, then what Jesus taught is nonsense.  

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33.  It's why Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12 – “Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  It’s why James said in James 1:12 – “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

According to the Bible, being BLESSED doesn’t mean you’ll live a problem-free life.  Instead - here is a Christian definition of the word "Blessed" - a spiritual state of well being that rises above life’s problems.  It means that we will be blessed in spite of our problems, not that we'll have no problems.

Hear the words of Jesus from His sermon commonly called, "the Beatitudes."  This is Matthew 5:3-12: 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you & falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The Bible’s definition of “blessed” is not the same as the world’s.

We usually celebrate the rich, not the poor - but they know their need for God . . . and God provides our daily bread… He is the source of every good and perfect gift in our lives.

We celebrate self-assertive, strong people, not one who is meek – but the meek are humble (not weak) . . . and God lifts up the humble, and resists the proud.

We think if someone is joyful they must be blessed, not those who mourn . . . but God comforts all who mourn, … He gives “a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.” 

So how is this possible?  It comes right back to where we started - Psalm 1:1.  The daily presence of God is the key to a blessed life.  

Those who walk daily with God will walk and not faint, they will run and not be weary.  And that is a blessing!

Those who wait on God live with hope, not despair.   They know that all things work together for good . . . and God is working it out, right now, in the waiting.

Those who depend on God daily will not worry or live in despair.  They know that God feeds the birds each day and they are well fed.  Birds don’t plant or harvest or store away food in barns, and God takes care of them.  No worries, mon!

Those who trust in God daily are blessed.  “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.   They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” - Jeremiah 17:7-8.

In our lives, we may have seasons of drought . . . we may feel parched and dry, but it does not mean God doesn’t love us, nor does it mean we are not blessed.

“Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” – Romans 8:38.  That means our blessings continue because God always loves us.  The Bible teaches us that our blessings are dependent on the goodness of God, not just on how obedient we are.  And isn't that a wonderful truth?  Because none of us are perfect and we all fall short, it's so good to know that God's love won't go away, and His blessings will still come our way.  He is good to us even in our sin and mistakes.  It's part of who He is.  "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matt. 5:45). 

Sometimes – in our suffering or when going through trials – we don’t feel very blessed.  Suffering itself isn’t a blessing, but it draws us closer to God – an that’s the true blessing.

The famous preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “anything is a blessing that makes us pray.”  So understand that during your trials, you can be blessed.

To be blessed is to know God is refining you, maturing you, preparing you.

Fact is - there is no testimony without testing. . . there is no overcoming without a challenge.  There is no victory without hardship.  We have no true witness without testing.  And no faith without trials.  You just can't know how God can solve a problem if you've never had one.

To be blessed is to know you have a God on whom you can depend; it's not your strength that matters.  To be blessed is to know when you are weak, you are in God’s sustaining arms.  To be blessed is to know all things work for good, so you have peace.  To be blessed is to live with eyes fixed on Jesus, not the mountain ahead or the giant coming against you.  To be blessed is to have certainty of God’s love, and know His promises are true.  Are you now more aware of your blessings?  They are there, and they won't ever go away.

1 Peter 4:19 says: “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

Some people go through trials and become discouraged, they give up.  Please don’t!  As Corrie ten Boom once said,  "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."  Trust the Engineer of your life; trust God.  You are loved, He will take care of you, and you are blessed!