Most of us might argue that we “bless” people because we don’t curse or swear much, anyway. But in reality, most of us probably curse other people almost as much as we bless others (and perhaps more, for some folks)! To bless someone is not just a trite and polite saying that we do when somebody sneezes: “Bless you!” In Biblical understanding, blessing & cursing are the two ways we can treat others. To bless someone is to project good into the life of another. We must think and feel and will good to someone else. A real blessing comes from our soul to theirs, and confirms that they are valuable because they are a human being made in the image of God! A curse is just the opposite. We curse someone when our words or actions belittle them, make them feel insignificant, and wish hurt, evil, and destruction on them.

In James Chapter 3, he warns us of the dangers of cursing others with our words:
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. – James 3:9-10 (NIV)
Jesus also warns of the destructive habit of cursing, and how serious such angry words are in God’s judgement:
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. – Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)
Here, Jesus is suggesting insults, angry outbursts, and calling others a fool to be in the same realm in God’s eyes as actual murder!

Whoa! Most of our politicians, news media, celebrities, college professors, and even you and I are in deep trouble with God because of the way we speak to each other and demean each other in our culture today! We live in a “cursive” society, where each “tribe” tries to win and feel significant by demeaning, degrading, and being outright hostile to the other tribes that have different views than they do. And to our shame, even Christians and churches get caught up in a cursing mentality instead of a blessing attitude!

In his book “Soul Keeping”, author John Ortberg says our souls crave blessing, both from God and other people. And, we were designed to bless God and then to bless others who are made in His image. He also reminds us that each day, in every encounter with others, we have a chance to either bless that person or curse them! He points to the Old Testament blessing God had for Israel as a model for how we are to bless God and each other. In Numbers 6:22-27, it says:
24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)
I remember our church youth group using this blessing to close our meetings. We would cross our arms & then hold the hands of the person next to you and repeat this. (I think the arm crossing was mostly to stand closer to the girls/or guys!) I really doubt any of us thought much about the significance of what this blessing really is saying! God desires goodness in our life, and wants to protect us from evil. For God’s face to shine upon us is for his very glory and power to shine upon us, and he wants to give us his gifts of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. God wants to look directly into our face in such a way that we feel his peace and assurance! (It reminds me as a grandparent when our small grandchildren look at us. They are sometimes vulnerable and afraid, and the last thing we would dream of doing is to look mean or judgmental to them, so we smile and laugh and assure that they are fine and everything is going to be okay! And they feel blessed, and so do we.)

How do we get back to that feeling of blessing as adults? How do we begin to change our culture from one of anger & vitriol to one of grace and peace, truly wishing the best for each other?
Well, it’s never going to happen with one tribe winning and the other losing! The answer is not progressive ideas, nor conservative ideas. The answer is to begin living the way God designed us to live with each other, and that involves a radical transformation in how we view and treat each other!

Jesus taught us:
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. – Luke 6:27-36 (ESV)

This an extremely radical lifestyle that goes way beyond any political or social solution offered today!
None of us can respond like this every single time, but with God’s help through the power of his Holy Spirit in us, we can respond more and more like this and begin to live as Jesus calls us to. This is the way of Jesus, and it is exactly how he approached an evil and sinful world. Politics doesn’t promote this; education doesn’t teach this. This is pure Christianity at its best, and this is what Jesus is calling his people to!

Notice 2 main points that Jesus makes:
1) Don’t just treat people this way who already love you and agree with you (your tribe)!
As Jesus says, everybody does that anyway! So what? That strategy isn’t changing anything, and it can actually lead to more division and hatred.
2) Jesus’ core challenge: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you!
If we do this, the first thing that happens is it changes us and our attitude towards those we dislike! And then, it at least offers an opportunity for our “enemies” to stop and think about their reaction also. Sometimes people are so shocked an even embarrassed when they receive forgiveness, mercy, and grace that they don’t deserve, they actually change their attitudes as well!

Again, do you bless or curse people on a daily basis?
Let’s challenge each other:
– every time we hear someone who we disagree with or who angers us, choose to pray for them and wish them the best God desires for them
– make a conscious effort to bless every person you encounter each day by your words, your attitude, and your actions

May we all learn to bless others, and see God work in our lives to change us and the world that we encounter!
May God “bless” you all with His grace and peace!