Offering our Ebenezer
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "thus far has the Lord helped us.” (NIV) 1 Samuel 7:12
So soon, the eleventh month of the year is gradually coming to an end. We are barely left with a month to wave 2016 goodbye. When 2016 started, it felt like it was going to take so long to see December, 2016. However, by the grace of God, we have come this far. How far has the Lord helped you this year? What are your Ebenezer?
Our Ebenezer are the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us especially throughout this year. It is always refreshing to count our blessings one by one and recognize what God has done just like the song writer wrote, “count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings and see what God has done.” It gives us yet another reason to praise our maker and always be assured that He will always be there for us in all situations. But counting our blessings, recognizing what God has done and praising him are not just enough. We must go a step further. I call this step, offering our Ebenezer (Matthew 25:40).
Offering our Ebenezer is using the blessings God bestows on us to bless other people. For instance, the Lord blesses you with a good job and you in turn help others to get employment. You are blessed with the gift of life and good health and you in turn dedicate your time and effort to spreading His word so others can be saved. The Lord miraculous heals you, and you in turn make it a duty to use your experience to encourage the sick to keep trusting God. You are blessed with wealth and you in turn make it a point to offer arms to the poor and needy in your society. Beloved, there several ways we can use our Ebenezer to touch the lives of others. So, let us examine ourselves to see if we are also blessing others with our Ebenezer.
If we all develop the attitude to bless others with the blessings God has bestowed, we will make this world a better place to live in. God bless us all.