“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3).

Have you ever wondered what it means to be blessed?

We sure do hear the word a lot in Christendom. You may even be one who uses it frequently.  It can be used as anything from a greeting (“God bless you”), to an email signature (“blessings”), to a bumper sticker (“blessed”).

But what does it really mean to be blessed?

In Genesis 12:2, the word translated “blessing” is the Hebrew word berakhah, and this is the first place this particular form of the word is used in the Bible. Simply stated, to be blessed by God is to be favored and prospered. For Abram, the blessing of God was multi-faceted and extensive.

God starts by promising to make “a great nation” out of Abram, and to “make his name great.” He promises to bless those who bless Abram, and subsequently, to curse those who dishonor him. He promises that, as part of the blessing Abram would receive, he would, in turn, be a blessing to others. This finds its fullness in the final proclamation of the blessing: “in you all the nations of the world will be blessed.”

Two things stand out about the nature of God’s favor – His blessing – of Abram. First, all Abram had to do to receive it was to be obedient to God’s instruction. God told him to leave his country and his kindred and enter a new land. Second, every facet of the blessing was meant to flow to others.

The great nation that God brought forth from Abram had a purpose, to serve as a witness of the goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty of their God, the creator of heaven and earth. Abram’s name was made great so that all the world would, in turn, know the greatness of God and His salvation. 

Ultimately, God blessed “all peoples of the earth” through Abram by sending His Son, the Messiah Jesus, into the world through Abram’s offspring.

God’s favor – His blessing – has now been made available to every person on earth through Jesus. And the nature of blessing hasn’t changed. Once you receive it through faith (this starts with accepting Jesus as your savior), you then become the avenue through which God has opportunity to extend it to others.

The blessing of God is never meant to be stagnant; its nature is to flow continuously from God, to us, and to others. 

So remember, if Jesus has made you His own, your life has a crystal clear purpose: to extend God’s blessing and favor to the people of the world.

Have you ever considered the fact that your life in Jesus is meant to be a blessing to others? As you pray and read Scripture this week, ask God to highlight for you some ways you could begin to focus your life on being a vessel of God’s blessing and favor for others.