Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.
Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Psalm 112: 1-6

1 Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.
2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.

Today’s title is “Become Blessing To Be Blessed”

People are very concerned about how the new year will be. I heard that more people go to fortune tellers to ask about the future in the new year. How can a mere mortal know about the future? What can they do to change it even if they know what’s in store in our future? That’s absolute nonsense. We shouldn’t have anything to do with such foolish things. God only knows the future. Only God can determine our future. And God does not hide the secrets of blessings from people. He is rather eager to show how to be blessed to the people. Bible is full of such revelations of God to show us how to be blessed. Today’s psalm is one of such words of God that shows the secrets of God. This psalm talks about things that we are mostly concerned about as we enter into a new year such as children, finances, safety, and security. Most parents including myself are greatly concerned about their children. For many parents, children always come first in their prayers. The Psalm says that your children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. We wonder how. God gives a clear answer. Fear the Lord and find great delight in His commands. Most families and business people are concerned about their finances, especially when many things are so precarious like this year. The psalm gives a clear answer to that too. “Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.” Again, you wonder how. The answer can be found in the same truth. Honor God. Love and trust Him in everything you and your children do. Are you concerned about the security and safety of your family in this new year? We find the answer for concern too in this psalm. “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright.” But how? Be gracious and compassionate. Be righteous. Be generous and lend freely. You will never be shaken. In short, love God and love your neighbor as Jesus said. Become blessings to others first. Then you will be blessed. This is God’s formula of blessings for everybody. If you put these secrets to practice throughout the year, you will never be shaken. I pray that you are plentifully and bountifully blessed in this new year.