Blessing is the bestowal of special favour that is intended to result in prosperity and success (Due. 28:8, Prov. 10:22). Without the blessing life or business will be impossible (Jn. 15:5, Zech. 4:6, Is. 48:17). God is the Provider, every man is a receiver (1Cor. 4:7, Ps. 145:15-16). It is part of God’s arrangements for man to engage in profitable ventures (Gen. 2:15, Is. 48:7) as a means through which he can be blessed (Due. 28:12), sustain himself (2Thess. 3:7-12) and be a blessing to others (Eph. 4:28).
Business thrives because it is enjoying a level of God’s blessing or the other. A farmer is expected to prepare the land and sow good seeds but harvest will be impossible without the rain (Joel 2:23). A business man can plan, strategize, work hard and do his best, but it is God that brings increase (1Cor. 3:6).
Epiodes of Blessing
There are three episodes of God’s blessing mankind has received since creation:
- the blessing of Adam (Gen. 1:22)
- the blessing of Noah (Gen. 9:13)
- the blessing of Abraham (Gen. 12:2-3, 22:17-18, Gal. 3:14)
The blessing of Adam was a general blessing, though hampered by the fall of Adam and the consequent curse. The blessing of Noah is a general blessing too. On the other hand, the blessing of Abraham is not general. Abraham received it on the platform of faith (Gal. 3:6), and today only those who come to God through faith in the Lord Jesus are entitled to it (Gal. 3:9, 29).
The Blessing of Adam
To each episode of blessing is an attendant responsibility. Under the blessing of Adam, man was a keeper (Gen. 2:15). As long as he kept the garden, he was blessed.
The Blessing of Noah
Under the blessing of Noah, man is a sower (Gen. 8:21-22, 9:20; Is. 32:20; Gal. 6:7). Man is no longer a toiler because the ground is no more cursed for his sake (Gen. 3:17, 8:21). As long as a man sows, he will enjoy the blessing, whether righteous or not.
All required to be a sower are: seeds (Is. 55:10), rain and sun (Matt. 5:45). These have been provided by God for everyone, both the good and the bad. Seed literally can be talent, time, energy, mind, idea, family, relationship, benevolence e.t.c. Rain represents life (Is. 44:3), it makes the seeds to thrive. Sun is light (Prov. 20:27), it represents vision. Vision is the catalyst for the blessing, it generates the passion that drives the “seeds” to harvest.
The Blessing of Abraham
Under the blessing of Abraham man is a seeker. Those who live by faith are seekers (Heb. 11:6). As long as man seeks the Lord, he enjoys the blessing (Matt. 6:33).
According to a study from a non-partisan wealth research firm, New World Wealth, more than two-thirds of the world’s millionaires have religious beliefs, with more than half (56.2%) identified as Christians. Seven of the ten wealthiest countries, ranked by number of millionaires, are “Christian dominated,” according to the report.
Hard Work Alone Not Enough
Blessing is an important factor, among others, responsible for the comparative advantage that gives the high fliers edge over the mediocri.
Hard work alone is not enough. You can do everything you can, do all that are necessary, and still fail. Remember the statement of Stephen Elop, the former CEO of Nokia, made in 2013, when Microsoft acquired Nokia mobile phones. He said, “we didn’t do anything wrong, but somehow, we lost.”
Hence, any addition or achievement you can or cannot trace to anything you did is a product of the blessing. To enjoy the blessing, a man must either be a keeper (take responsibility), a sower (invest) or a seeker (believe).