Count Your Many Blessings
I have sung this song many times over the years. Even as a young lad, I learned this song and saw how very precious it was to those older than me. As I have aged, the song has a special place in my heart which truly, to me, has become a blessing in itself.
We all have blessings. Some of us just do not realize the blessings in our possession. Often times, it is our attitude more than anything else that allows us to perceive whether something is a blessing or not. I think the key to having blessings is to put God first. Paul said that "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment" ESV" (1 Timothy 6:6), Paul also wrote "...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" (Philippians 4:11).
Now what I consider blessings for myself may not be considered blessings for others. But if we are all truly seeking the Lord to obey Him, there are benefits and blessings that come our way. The hope of heaven and spending eternity in the presence of God, Christ, The Spirit, and the multitudes of the faithful is probably the greatest of all blessings.
What we need to consider now is the fact that we do not have to wait until we reach heaven to receive blessings from God. He has granted us many blessings in this life, and of course we know from Ephesians 1:3 that "all spiritual blessings are in Christ". To receive these blessings we have to be IN Christ. Baptism is the ONLY way to get into Christ. Some will suggest other ways, but those ways do not agree with what the Bible tells us.
Let me suggest some things that I consider blessings. If you are a faithful Christian, you will probably agree with these things and consider them to be your own blessings. You may want to run with what I have written and make up your own list.
If you are not a Christian, you probably have not read this article, nor do you plan to read this article. But just in case there are some of you who are not Christians yet, let me suggest that when you accept these things as blessings from God, your whole view of life will change for the better.
One of the most obvious blessings is in receiving favor from God. This is done when we obey the gospel and have our sins washed away through the blood of Jesus that we contact in baptism. Once we are baptized, we become a new creature and begin to walk in newness of life. We no longer struggle through this world lost and alone for we have a true Shepherd to guide us, that is, if we put our trust in Him and follow Him.
The privilege of prayer is a great blessing whereby we can approach the Creator of this world and know that He hears us. He will answer us, but we must remember that sometimes the answer is "no". The possession of a Bible which instructs us how to please God is a great blessing. Can you imagine trying to worship a God that did not reveal how He wanted to be worshipped? If there are no instructions, then anything would be alright, I guess?
There is a great blessing in spending time in the company and fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. If they are truly trying to follow God's instructions, I can assure you that they are the greatest people on earth, and spending time with them is a true joy and a blessing. Being able to sing with my fellow Christians brings a blessing to my heart. For in singing, we truly are worshipping together as one, and I for one, enjoy it so much. I know some of you do not like to sing, but if you will realize what a blessing it is, perhaps you can learn to enjoy it also.
To me, it is a great blessing and honor to be able to share these articles with so many people. I do not declare myself to be special or anything like that. I am just trying to do what I understand God wants me to do. Looking forward to the great statement: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Master" is a blessing that I hope to hear one day.
I hope you can appreciate your blessings. Like the song says: "Count your MANY blessings", try to name them one by one. I would imagine that your list will be much longer than you think it should be.
By Carey Scott

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