Blessings Turned To Blight
(Ricky Hudson)

"Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." (Acts 14:17) God is surely "able to make all grace abound toward us", so that we have "all sufficiency in all things". He surely "dispersed abroad" and "supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food." (2 Corinthians 9:8-9) Thus God is the source of all blessings - "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights." (James 1:17)

So all these blessings ultimately benefit us - RIGHT? Maybe not if we aren't careful. Blessings can be transformed - perverted until they become blights. God's "law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." God intended law to benefit man and to bless man - "to bring life." Instead, law became a blight - sin "taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in us all manner of evil." 

What was to bring life brought death. "But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died ... Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." (Romans 7: 8-9,12)

Blights are often God's finest blessings in distortion. For example, there was a humble man who God made him king over all Israel. However, his blessing - his exaltation soon gave birth to pride and rebellion. It became a destructive blight that alienated Saul from God and finally cost him his life. His best blessing turned to a blight! 

There was a farmer who was so blessed with prosperity that his barns would not hold his crops. God made him rich, and then the framer planned his future - without a thought of God. His blessing - his prosperity excluded God, and blighted him.

"And He said to them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.' Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:15-21)

There was a man selected by Jesus - called to be a disciple - and more. He was chosen to be an apostle. That made him an ambassador of the King Jesus, who gave him one of twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes. He was honored to be the disciples' treasurer. How much more blessed could he be? Then blight sprouted - right out of blessing. He became covetous; he stole from the treasury; he resented money spent to honor Jesus, and at last he betrayed Jesus for a few pieces of silver. He "fell, that he might go to his own place." (Act 1:25) What a miserable end for one chosen by Jesus! What a horrible blight - from such marvelous blessings! 

Is it possible that similar things happen closer to home? Did you ever know anyone with a similar experience of blighted blessings? Did you ever know someone who was blessed with a good job, generous salary, fine benefits, and good opportunities. And then that job became the most important thing in his life - so important he could find no time to serve God - so important that he could find no time for his family.

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) Let's be careful in turning a blessing to a blight. 

Did you ever know someone who was blessed with children - beautiful, adorable children? And then those children promptly kept them from worship assemblies. Those "blessings" caused them to drop out of work in the church - and finally they drift entirely away from the Lord. Did you see broken hearts and broken lives? What a blight! Someone remarked, "What if God just removed their excuse," their blight - they're blessing. Children and parents both lose their souls! Life's great blessings turned to eternal blight! 

Did you ever see someone who was blessed with lots of free time - lots of opportunity? And then he became a "lover of pleasure more than a lover of God?" He was adept at playing, but had no time to serve. "Too busy" for beneficial things, yet his life is filled with "vanity" - empty things. What a blight! 

Did you ever see a man blessed with lots of money - more than he needed for living? And then he was infected with the "love of money." He became stingy - a miser - selfish. Did his abundance make him proud, and self sufficient - even with God? Did you notice he could afford anything he wanted, but standing for right - doing right was "too high a price?" Blessed with money - blighted by money! 

Did you ever see someone greatly endowed with talent - blessed with ability to do great things? And then he buried his talents: a great teacher at school who declines teaching a Bible class - or someone who is great at contacting people at work but never tries to reach people about their soul - or someone who persuades and sells every day at work, but makes no effort to persuade brethren or unbelievers in spiritual matters. What a waste! 

Have we ever recognized the face of such a person - blessings turned to blight - in our mirror? God has blessed us above measure. Let's not be unaware, careless, or unthankful. God has given us these blessings for our good to be used for his honor and glory.

Cursed By Blessings
(Kent Heaton)

The irony of life is that while we struggle with all of our might to have a better life, it is the better life that so often makes our lives worse. Robert Burton (1621) said: "If adversity hath killed his thousands, prosperity hath killed ten thousands." History is replete with examples of societies that fought long and hard to gain a sense of prosperity and then when finding that prosperity sunk to the depths of degradation in not knowing what to do with newly gained prosperity.

The strength of the United States is found more in history than the newspapers of today. In our struggle to find a level of prosperity and comfort, we were united and strong. In gaining a large portion of that prosperity, we have become sluggish and divided. The impact of these social ills has crept into the body of Christ.

The church in a prosperous world is becoming like the world around it. We are not persecuted nor is there great conflict against the foundation of the church. The real battle is found in being cursed with so many blessings and taking for granted all that we have. Today we have greater ease of travel, higher levels of comfort, more prosperity to do more with and more access to knowledge than ever before. Yet we travel less to refresh ourselves with God's word, find ourselves more willing to sit in a pouring rain to watch a ball-game than at the meeting house with saints, give less to the Lord and know even less about His will.

God warned the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 8 about forgetting Him when they enter the land of Canaan with all its prosperity. Time and time again (Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 11:16-21) he warned them about becoming to comfortable and then they forget God. This is what they finally did - grew prosperous and forgot God. (Amos 6:10-12; Hosea 4:6-10)

The church today struggles to maintain the present level of interest in spiritual things. The Bible is more readily available in more forms than ever before in the history of man - yet fewer children of God know much about its content. Life is based upon comfort in travel, comfort in sitting, ease of time and availability of opportunities. Why then do we suffer so greatly to have Christians attend services on Sunday night, Wednesday night, gospel meetings or home Bible studies? We are too busy for God and the church is not our main purpose in life any longer.

Blessings turned to blight, blessings turned to a curse. Maybe it would be a better thing for God to take the church away from us and give it to a people who are more willing to suffer and die for the cause of Christ than those of us who are living in the wealth of blessings and doing so little for Him who died on the cross.