Living a Blessed Life

Biblical Foundation for Living a Blessed Life

An effective leader has their house in order. And Biblical order always starts by recognizing that God owns everything and putting Him first. Let’s dive deeper into the Word and discover what God says about living a blessed life.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.

Ownership matters! Imagine taking a $100 bill out of your wallet and giving it to a friend in need. Sounds pretty generous, right? Now imagine taking a $100 bill out of your parent’s wallet, without them knowing or approving, and giving it to that same friend. You see, the first time you were being generous. But the second time you were just stealing! Again, ownership MATTERS. And when we realize that God owns EVERYTHING, we begin to understand that if that’s true, then we don’t own anything. And if we don’t own anything, that means we are simply stewarding what God has entrusted to us.

Your ministry, your family, your finances, your talents, your position, your authority, your influence, even your very life. It all belongs to God. And how you steward these things, will impact how much more God can entrust you with more blessings.

Luke 16:10-12 (NLT) Jesus says,

¹⁰ “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.

¹¹ And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

¹² And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

When Generosity and Stewardship Meet

So, with this new perspective of God’s ownership, how do we live a blessed life?

As Ps. Robert Morris says, “The blessed life walks on two legs: generosity AND stewardship.  A spiritual leader is a good steward of the resources they’ve been entrusted with, but they’re also generous. You can be an incredible steward, but if you’re not generous with your resources, it’s like you’re walking on one leg, you’ll end up going in circles. And if you’re generous, but you don’t actually take the time to manage the money in your bank account…you’re in the same boat.

Just as our heart for Good Stewardship stems from God’s Ownership, so does our heart for Generosity. If God owns it all, and He asks me to give something to someone, then I have no fear. All the resources are the Lords. He’ll provide for me. God blessed Israel, so Israel could be a blessing to the world.

Why are we blessed?

God blessed you, so you can be a blessing to people. God loves people! And you are His hands and feet on this earth!

Matthew 10:42 (NLT)

⁴² And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

God provides for us, then He blesses us with extra so we can be a blessing to others, then He rewards our generosity. Now, this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. God isn’t teaching us to be generous so we can learn to get more. Giving to get is the opposite of generosity. It actually roots pride and selfishness into our hearts, when generosity is meant to remove selfishness from our hearts.

The heart is the most important part of generosity. Remember John 3:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

“For God so loved…. He Gave.” The action was giving, but the heart behind it was love. God’s greatest commandment is to Love God and to Love Your Neighbor as yourself. Love is the inspiration, but generosity is the action that stems from that love.

The Blessed Life walks on two legs: Generosity & Stewardship

The Good Samaritan had stewarded his finances well so that when he came across someone in need, he had savings and good credit so the innkeeper would take care of the wounded man knowing that the Good Samaritan could afford it. But not only was the Good Samaritan a good steward, but he was also generous. He had compassion and love for someone in need, and he was generous to step in and provide for his healing.  The Blessed Life walks on two legs: Generosity & Stewardship.

At Gateway, the concept of living a blessed life is core to who we are. Ps. Robert wrote his book The Blessed Life to highlight generosity and his book Beyond Blessed to highlight stewardship. He preaches sermon series on these Biblical principles regularly and has traveled around the world helping teach others. The first book I ever read at Gateway was The Blessed Life and it radically changed my life. As a leader, I highly recommend you read the book, learn these principles, and apply them in your life. I also recommend you become familiar with our practical financial stewardship classes in the Gateway Resource Library. The Financial Hope Workshop along with free Budgeting & Debt Reduction tools are all available online to help you in your journey.

So today I speak that blessing over you. Be fruitful and multiply, and be a good steward of all God has entrusted to you.

Visit our store to purchase The Blessed Life and Beyond Blessed books by Ps. Robert Morris

Related articles: Tithing FAQs  |  Creating a Culture of Stewardship

David Thompson is the executive pastor of worship and production and oversees campus ministries, music and worship, live production, and connect ministries. He holds a business degree from Southern Methodist University and is pursuing a master’s degree in practical theology from The King’s University.