“I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.”
Genesis 12:2
I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Bible verse above reveals an important spiritual principle regarding God’s blessings. The Lord wanted to bless Abraham so that he would in turn be a blessing unto others. God delights to bless those who are willing to be a blessing to those around them. He gives to those who generously share and cheerfully meet others’ needs.
We can observe this principle in the physical world as well. If a fruit tree grows in fertile soil near a stream of water and is sufficiently warmed by the sun, it bears abundant fruit. Its favorable conditions are reflected in its fruitfulness. And sometimes the tree is so fruitful that the branches break from the overwhelming load of fruit. The tree does not have a self-preserving instinct, but rather its purpose is to bear fruit.
Fruitfulness in the spiritual realm is also dependent upon discipline. Consider the following illustration: the strong arms of a blacksmith bring down the heavy hammer on the heated metal again and again… Why does the blacksmith wield a heavy hammer with such ease? Because his arms became strong through persistent labor. The energy he spends with each strike of the hammer makes him stronger while he is accomplishing his task. Although we can easily perceive this law in the physical world, there is a correlation in the spiritual world as well. When you give, then you receive. When you bless others with prayer and encouragement, you are then blessed in return. One Christian thinker once said: “That which you give is yours!” And that is true. The Bible attributes an amazing characteristic to the righteous: “He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour” (Psalm 112:9). The Apostle Paul repeats these very words in the Epistle to the Corinthians: “He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever” (2 Cor. 9:9). Love, generosity, sympathy, graciousness, compassion – these are the qualities of the righteous, and they are a reflection of the essence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians who live according to these truths are truly blessed!
The Lord mercifully extends the days of grace for the world. Although the current events we hear of clearly point to the biblical signs of the last days and cause many to be in fear, missionaries continue to proclaim the Word of salvation with an urgent desire to share the Gospel with sinners. Spiritual awakening continues among the Nenets and Gypsy nations. There is also considerable success in reaching the deaf with the love of Christ. Successful evangelism is being conducted among Muslim peoples in the Caucasus and Central Asia. In short, the ministry continues and is flourishing. This will be described in more detail in this Newsletter.
Dear friends, I want to encourage you with the following words: you are contributing to a very great cause, the ministry of the furtherance of the Gospel. With every donation, every prayer for the missionaries, you become an instrument of blessing in God’s Kingdom. May the Lord richly bless you with His goodness and may you bear much spiritual fruit for His Kingdom.
With love in Christ, Rev. Vladimir A. Okhotin
2020-1-en
