BLESSING OTHERS

Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. (‭Genesis‬ ‭47‬:‭10‬ NIV)

This is a remarkable passage of scripture that is often overlooked in our Bible study.  In the Egyptian religion, Pharaoh was thought to be a god. They considered Pharaoh the human embodiment of Ra, the sun god. Basically, he was not a Christian.  He was an unbeliever. This means that it was remarkable that he allowed Israel to bestow a blessing on him.

This got me thinking about the people who surround my life that are not Christians and my response to them.  My response should be that of "blessing" them and to be a blessing to them.  Whether they believe or not - we should always be thought of in these ways: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, meekness, temperance, etc. (The fruit of the spirit).

This was not only an act of civility (he paid him respect and returned him thanks for his kindness), but an act of piety as he prayed for him, as one having the authority of a prophet and a patriarch.

When it came to worldly wealth - Pharaoh was the greater. Yet, when it came to God, Jacob was the greater; he was God's anointed, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm” (‭Psalm‬ ‭105‬:‭15‬ NIV).

This is a good reminder to us as connect with people on a daily basis - we are God's anointed!  We are chosen by God and God is with us.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ NIV).

Gen. 47:7 states that Joseph blessed Pharaoh when he first met him and in v.10 - he blessed him as he left.

This is my prayer for my life - let me be a blessing to all I come in contact with.

I used to serve as a Police Chaplain with the police department in Bremerton Washington.  I suppose that you could call this "friendship evangelism."  Whenever I showed up to ride with the police officers they would "bump" the reserve officer that was riding with them just so I could be with them.  They always felt to have me with them was a "blessing" and even a "protection" for them.  They enjoyed my company and I ended up doing many of their weddings and funerals in their families.  (And...  by the way, I was able to beat all of them in racquetball.)  I never wavered in my faith and I was able to lovingly bless them and witness to them while we were together.  Many of those officers gave their hearts to Christ during that season and many of them considered me their pastor.  When I moved from that city I was given "The Key To The City" as a way of saying "thank you for blessing us."

We all have a circle of friends that surround us that are not believers.  May I encourage you to live your life as it to be a "blessing" in your comings and in your goings.

Here's a story that I think you will like and relate to:

A century ago, a band of brave souls became known as one-way missionaries. They purchased single tickets to the mission field without the return half. And instead of suitcases, they packed their few earthly belongings into coffins. As they sailed out of port, they waved good-bye to everyone they loved, everything they knew. They knew they'd never return home.

A.W. Milne was one of those missionaries. He set sail for the New Hebrides in the South Pacific, knowing full well that the headhunters who lived there had martyred every missionary before him. Milne did not fear for his life because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed. For thirty-five years, he lived among that tribe and loved them. When he died, tribe members buried him in the middle of their village and inscribed this epitaph on his tombstone.

When he came there was no light.
When he left there was no darkness.

May that be the story of each of our lives also.