Have I ever shared one of my pet peeves with you? It makes me crazy when people tell me to "Have a blessed day." Actually, just about any use of the world "blessed" rubs me the wrong way. "Blessed" has become some kind of weird buzzword in the Christian subculture. It seems like its use is closer to the the way fraternities use a secret handshake than the biblical use of the word. When I hear somebody use it, I feel like they might as well be saying, "Don't worry. Be happy."
This makes me crazy because in the Bible the word "bless" has a very specific meaning. God's blessing is his grace. It's his undeserved favor in our lives. "Blessed" doesn't mean happy or nice or fun. "Blessed" means someone is saved by grace through faith in the work of Jesus--his life, death and resurrection.
So, I guess it's OK to say, "Have a blessed day," if by that you are encouraging someone to live in the grace of God. The problem is that the blessing of God is a heavy thing--heavy in the Back to the Future sense. Blessing is not something I can flippantly offer as someone leaves my house or my place of business. God's favor is something I desperately cry out to God the Father to dispense in someone's life as he causes his Spirit to draw them to Jesus. Look at the way Paul quotes Psalm 32 to describe God's blessing:
Romans 4:7-8 NET
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.
Blessing is not a state of mind we wish someone. Blessing is the new life we find in Christ.
May we be careful with words of grace that they may not be cheapened by over use but powerful words describing the favor we have found by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. May we remember our own blessing as our words and lives proclaim with the hymn writer:
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
This makes me crazy because in the Bible the word "bless" has a very specific meaning. God's blessing is his grace. It's his undeserved favor in our lives. "Blessed" doesn't mean happy or nice or fun. "Blessed" means someone is saved by grace through faith in the work of Jesus--his life, death and resurrection.
So, I guess it's OK to say, "Have a blessed day," if by that you are encouraging someone to live in the grace of God. The problem is that the blessing of God is a heavy thing--heavy in the Back to the Future sense. Blessing is not something I can flippantly offer as someone leaves my house or my place of business. God's favor is something I desperately cry out to God the Father to dispense in someone's life as he causes his Spirit to draw them to Jesus. Look at the way Paul quotes Psalm 32 to describe God's blessing:
Romans 4:7-8 NET
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.
Blessing is not a state of mind we wish someone. Blessing is the new life we find in Christ.
May we be careful with words of grace that they may not be cheapened by over use but powerful words describing the favor we have found by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. May we remember our own blessing as our words and lives proclaim with the hymn writer:
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
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