Blessing

    Blessings are an eternal round of love - given to us because of love, due to love through obedience, and encouraging more love as the blessings serve others.  We should seek out blessings, consecrate ourselves to receive them(be faithful and generous, have clean hands, pure heart, no vanity, be honest, pay tithing, and stand in holy places), and share blessings once we have them and always be grateful for them. Blessings are often a choice - a choice to obey, a choice to be grateful, a choice to have a positive attitude and recognize blessings that would otherwise go unnoticed, a choice to use  your blessings to bless others. Remember all blessings come through Jesus Christ. It is also important to remember as you recognize your own blessings from the Lord, to ponder how you in turn bless the Lord. There are specific blessings the Lord promises through the spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. And specific blessings promised through Abraham/tribes of Israel: numerous posterity(entitled to eternal increase and bear priesthood), father of many nations, Christ and kings would come through Abraham's lineage, lands would be inherited, all nations would be blessed by his seed(again, blessings lead to more blessings - one eternal round), covenant-everlasting, enemies shall become prey, barren deserts have pools of living water, ground brings rich treasures, boundaries of everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence, crowned with glory, filled with songs of everlasting joy. Blessings to all tribes, richer blessings upon Ephraim, Judah sanctified in holiness - to dwell in is presence day and night, foerever and ever. The Lord blesses with power to come forth to enter into His Father's kingdom, "there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life and continue thenceforth their labor as had been promised by the Lord and be partakers of all blessings which were held in reserve for them that love Him." You will continue in labor, continue in love, continue to partake of all blessings. There is no end to blessings(love) which lead to God's ultimate work and glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

 *Gen 12:2 - By blessing Abraham, he then becomes a blessing, God's plan always seems to work in one eternal round.

*Gen 27 - Rebecca guides Jacob in seeking blessings, there is nothing wrong with seeking them out.

*Gen 33 - Blessings can be shared, like Jacob and Esau

*Ex 32:29 - Consecrate yourself that the Lord may bestow blessings.

*Deut 11:26 - It's very simple - obey=blessings, disobey=curse

*Deut 30:19(16-20) - It's always your choice: obedience or disobedience, blessing or curse, life or death. CHOOSE LIFE. Choosing to obey leads to blessings which leads to life. The Lord is your life.

*Deut 23:5 - "The Lord they God turned the curse inot a blessing unto thee because the Lord thy God loved thee." (All things work out for thy good, as long as you're obedient - D&C 20:24)

*Deut 28:2(the whole chapter) - If you're obedient, blessings will "overtake" you

*Neh 9:5 - "Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever" Blessings work both ways, how do you bless the Lord? Eph 1:3 - Bless God for blessing you with all spiritual blessings in Christ.

*Psalms 24:3-5 - What to do to receive blessings: clean hands, a pure heart, no vanity, honest, stand in holy places.

*Prov 10:22 - Blessings of the Lord make you rich, richness = life

*Prov 28:20 - Faithful = abound in blessings

*Isaiah 19:24 - The Lord heals with blessings

*Ezek 44:30 - Give(bless) and you will be blessed

*Mal 2:2 - Give glory to God or your blessings will be cursed

*Mal 3:10 (3 Nephi 24:10) Pay your tithing and there will not be room enough to receive all the blessings

*Gal 3:14 - We receive the blessings of Abraham through Jesus Christ, the blessings of the Spirit through faith

Blessings of Abraham(Gen 17): numerous posterity(entitled to eternal increase and bear priesthood), father of many nations, Christ and kings would come through Abraham's lineage, lands would be inherited, all nations would be blessed by his seed(again, blessings lead to more blessings - one eternal round), covenant-everlasting.

-All of these blessings are obtained through Jesus Christ

Blessings of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

-All of these blessings are obtained through faith.

*Heb 12:17 - Rejecting blessings is a sin (Esau)

*James 3:10 - Your tongue always has the choice to bless or curse.

*Peter 3:9 - Bless all you do - do not give evil for evil.

*Rev 5:13 - All creatures bless the Lord

*1 Nephi 17:2 - Blessings sometimes require positive attitudes or go unnoticed. Nephi called blessings "so great" because women and children strong and there was no murmuring. Nephi could have focused on being lost in the wilderness, eating raw meat, etc. Blessings go unnoticed without gratitude. v.3 - blessings came because they kept commandments. Blessings of strength, nourishment, and opportunities.

*2 Nephi 1:28 - Follow the prophet, or blessings could be taken away.

*2 Nephi 4:5 - Blessings are given for strength and guidance (as if  the actual blessing is not gift enough - it has layers of help)

*Alma 45:16 - "For this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land" God's curses work as blessings - for they remove wickedness and raise up righteousness.

*3 Nephi 10:18 - Righteousness brings blessings: the ministering of Christ.

*D&C 41:1 - Those that hear the Lord, He delights in blessing with "the greatest of all blessings"

*D&C 130:20(D&C 132:5) - Any blessings obtained is due to obedience to the law connected with that blessing

*D&C 133:19-35 - Tribes of Israel blessings: enemies shall become prey, barren deserts have pools of living water, ground brings rich treasures, boundaries of everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence, crowned with glory, filled with songs of everlasting joy. Blessings to all tribes, richer blessings upon Ephraim, Judah sanctified in holiness - to dwell in is presence day and night, foerever and ever.

*D&C 138:51-52 - The Lord blesses with power to come forth to enter into His Father's kingdom, "there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life and continue thenceforth their labor as had been promised by the Lord and be partakers of all blessings which were held in reserve for them that love Him." You will continue in labor, continue in love, continue to partake of all blessings.