We expect blessings from God and apply various methods to receive them. When our expectations do not come through, we assume reasons for not availing them. These assumptions indirectly affect God like if He has not fulfilled His promises to the people. Or the devil accuses people of their sins or lack of faith for not being blessed by God. But God has already given the key to the treasures of heaven to His children. When Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus gave this authority to Peter. To all who believe Him, He gave the privilege to become His children (John 1:12).

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16:19 (NIV)

To bless us, God gives us the Keys of His Kingdom which means that He gives us avenues to become righteous because of His Son’s righteousness. The righteousness of Jesus makes us righteous, and God reveals to the righteous the source of blessings.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Unfortunately, people expect God to bless them first to motivate them to seek His Kingdom and righteousness. To support their idealogy, they look at the unrighteous people still blessed by God as they see only worldly blessings. In this wrong notion, the key to fortune is hidden, but the one who finds that key will be blessed by Him holistically. As we are the children of God, God expects us to behave as He behaves.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)

The utmost blessing is that we know our provider, our Father, while others do not know Him. Envying the wicked implies that we desire to live unrighteously.

Do Not Slander The Name of God

The scripture warns us not to misuse the privileges of the children of God. When we are harassed at our workplace, humiliated in a public place, or cornered in every respect in our homes, we look for supporters who can pray for us or counsel us. Surprisingly, the scripture does not teach us so but asks us to dedicate ourselves even more to their service. People thought that the Canaanite woman was greatly humiliated when Jesus compared her to dogs (Matthew 15:26). Instead, she rejoiced in accepting her state by thanking God for His mercy, which gave her the crumbs that fell from her master’s table. 

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. These are the things you are to teach and insist on.

1 Timothy 6:1-2 (NIV)

Despite the scripture telling us to be submissive to our masters, believers tend to claim their privilege of being treated justly by their masters. They fail to dedicate their lives to their masters, whom God has appointed over them. Some people encourage them by praying for deliverance instead of teaching them to endure by showing the love of God to them. During election time, these kinds of prayers survive, and people ask God to give them the government according to their convenience but not according to His will.

It is similar to the prayers of the disciples of Jesus, who were expecting Jesus to conquer Jerusalem. The so-called prayer warriors inadvertently instil hatred in believers and drain the love of God from their hearts. For this hilarious job, they expect an offering from the believers and threaten them with dire consequences if they do not give the offering.

The scripture reminds us not to slander the name of God. God wants to minister to our erring masters by showing His love through us. Should we not be careful in revealing the love of God to our brothers and sisters by obeying God?

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

Matthew 5:39 (NIV)

We can obey God in this manner only when we trust in His power, and He turns the heart of stone to flesh (Ezekiel 11:19) and blesses the obeying children by turning up all the mishappening towards good (Romans 8:28).

Do Not Be Deceived

Further, the scripture warns not to be deceived by the ideologies of this world. We mock God or let God be mocked by people inadvertently by following the ways of the world. As God has given the key to our blessings, we should know how to handle it. If we use this key to unlock only for receiving worldly wealth without sowing any good, we will not reap His blessings. The scripture insists that we should sow good seeds to keep our souls healthy.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

The above portion of the scripture warns us of the danger if we sow to please our flesh. Fulfilment of the desires of the flesh gives momentary pleasure, but it will not be long-lasting. The scripture explains that sowing to please the flesh will lead to destruction. By seeing the outward blessings of the wicked people, David got perplexed but was later satisfied by seeing their destiny in the hands of God (Psalm 73:12-17).

Zacchaeus unrighteously accumulated wealth to cater to his flesh and was going toward destruction. God opened his eyes, and he found the correct way to spend his hoardings. Then Jesus told him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9).”

Do Not Become Weary

Seldom people are encouraged to help others constantly, but many discontinue doing good to others because of not getting a pleasant response. It can happen that the person whom we had helped might end up being our enemy today. Or the people who derived benefits from us to reach a higher level would have forgotten us. We get upset when someone else claims the onus for the well-being of people while we had done everything for their upliftment. These are some reasons that we discontinue sowing good.

Doing good to people not according to their worthiness but even to their unworthiness will yield blessings to our souls. After doing good to an individual or a family, we should not expect anything in return, not even a verbal thanks, to receive our reward from God. People often want to remain in their lives as a medium for their blessings and will get hurt when they do not acknowledge them as the source of their well-being.

We do not keep the ladder in the hall after the painting job is over. Likewise, we are the ladders in the hands of our Father, and He uses us to beautify a person’s life. When God accomplishes His purpose in one place, He carries us to a different place to fulfil His purpose. We should understand that it is not the beneficiaries who ignore us, but God makes them forget us so that we will concentrate on the other areas where God wants to use us.

Simplifying the process of bestowing His blessings, Jesus says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12). Let us receive His blessings by obeying God as His children, in all walks of our lives.