There are times when we see our friends in church being blessed by God. We rejoice with them when they get promoted, get married, buy their first house or first car. We even congratulate them for their achievements. And because the friend is a fellow believer, we thank God for the blessings they receive. It's just so good of Him to bless His child, right?
But when we look at our unbelieving friends or acquaintances and notice that they are better off than we are, even better than our Christian friends, it's easy to think: Why is God blessing them more than me? Some of us are even tempted to be angry at God because it seems like our non-Christian friends "have it better" than we do.
Can you relate to that? Do you think or feel that God is unfair for blessing your non-Christian friends more than you? If you said yes to that, let me encourage you: You're blessed more than you think.
Being Blessed
Many people, even Christians, equate the word "blessing" with "financial or material prosperity." We think of a new car or house or smartphone as blessings, and they are. Sadly, many don't think of being saved from sin and hell as blessings. Many of us forget that we have been blessed by God's daily grace and mercies.
To help encourage you, let's define words. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a "blessing" is "something that helps you or brings happiness" or something "conducive to happiness or welfare." It is also defined as an "approval that allows or helps you to do something," especially "help and approval from God."
Based on these definitions, being blessed does not necessarily mean being materially rich. You could have average finances and be more blessed than the richest person in the world! How's that? It's because blessing comes from God:
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no change or shadow of turning." (James 1:17)
Remember the older brother in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15? He made exactly this kind of mistake, thinking that his father had given his sinful and wasteful younger brother more than him because he had slaughtered the fattened calf for a welcome home party. The father's love is wounded again as he has to plead with his eldest son to remember that everything he has is already his and worth so much more than one fattened calf. We can do the exact same thing with God, scoffing at all the heavenly riches He has given us as if they are nothing, because we are too busy focusing on our neighbor's nice house or new car as if that's of greater worth.
Now what did God have in mind when He blesses us? That we would be His own, a people conformed to the image of His only begotten Son:
"We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:28-29)
What about my non-Christian friends?
Dear reader, God loves your non-Christian friends, and His blessings are meant to bring them to Him. The goodness or kindness of God is meant to turn people away from sin and towards repentance (see Romans 2:4). He wants them saved just like you.
Your part, dear friend, is not to be jealous of them when they prosper (see Psalm 37:1). You're already saved, and the salvation that you've received from Christ far outweighs any material blessings your friends receive. The material prosperity that we have here on earth will soon fade, but the riches that God wants us to have lasts forever (see Matthew 6:19-20).
Thus, set your heart on God (see Matthew 6:21). If you have an intimate, loving relationship with Him in which your life is being steered by His sovereignty so that everything is for your good, you're more blessed than you know.
