I wonder if you’ve counted your blessings lately. That old hymn of the church reminds us to count our blessings, name them one by one, count our blessings and see what God has done! You know, in a world that is full of trouble, it’s easy to overlook our blessings. I’ve been encouraging you to become a give-away blesser—someone who blesses others freely and frequently, because you have been so greatly blessed by God. As the saying goes, we are blessed to be a blessing.   

We have created a lovely set of 31 cards with give-away blessings on them, scripture verses, that can be given to someone to bless them, to encourage them, to lighten their load. You can find these cards on our website. All you have to do is print them and give them away. Dr. Robert Cook has gone on to be with the Lord, but for years he would end his radio broadcast each day by saying, “Walk with the King today and be a blessing." That’s what we all need to do—be a blessing to others. 

One of these give-away blessing cards says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” from Hebrews 11. At times our faith can waver, can it not? I know mine does. What a blessing it would be to give this card to someone who is struggling to believe that God has heard their prayer, that God is concerned about their need, that God hasn’t forgotten them. You could bless someone with this give-away blessing.  

Another one of these 31 cards has a portion of 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. . . Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Wouldn’t it be a blessing to give this card to someone who has loved you with this kind of love. It could be a good friend, a mate, a parent—whoever God puts on your heart. You could say, “Thanks so much for loving me like this.”   

Well, I’ve tried to give you some ideas of how you could become a blessing, as an act of gratitude to God for all your blessings. And you know, when we start looking for ways to bless others, it just comes right back to us. We reap what we sow, and you will be blessed beyond belief as you determine to become a better blesser!

Have you been blessed by God? I would hope that all of us would quickly agree that God has blessed us richly. When God called Abram to leave his country and go to the land he would show him, he said, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”   

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are blessed to be a blessing. Not just to enjoy God’s blessings to us, but to be able to pass a blessing on to others. Have you ever intentionally determined that you wanted to be that kind of Christian who blesses others? You know, if you don’t find a practical way to be a blessing, or you don’t remind yourself to bless others, you can go through your days just self-focused and self-centered, and never blessing anyone else. 

So, I’ve been encouraging you to give away blessings. In fact, we’ve prepared a set of 31 lovely cards, each with a scriptural blessing on it, to help you become more intentional about giving away blessings. Those are now on our website here.   

Here’s a good blessing to give someone.  

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).  

We all lose hope from time to time. No doubt you know someone who is losing hope right now; they’ve lost their job, or lost their home, or some other problem just won’t go away, and they’re ready to give up. Suppose you gave them this card with this give-away blessing and let them know you are praying that God will fill their hearts with hope and they won’t give up. I know you would be a blessing to that person.   

If you know someone who is a little confused about what they are supposed to do, or feels inconsequential with low self-esteem, you might want to give them this card from Ephesians 2:10, which says, “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This is one of my favorite verses, for it says that every child of God is here with a distinct and specific purpose, designed by God. Giving a person this card with words of encouragement from you could make a huge difference in their attitude.  

If you’d like to do a better job of blessing others, then go to our website and print this set of 31 cards with give-away blessings on them. You won’t regret it.

Can you think of a time when someone lifted your spirits and made your day by a small act of kindness? When that happens, you are blessed! Well, I’m suggesting that as Christians we need to be blessing others. And to help us get in the habit of giving away blessings, we have designed a set of 31 lovely cards—a whole month of blessings with a short Bible verse, which you can give away to someone, as God leads you. They’re on our website now for you to print and give away.   

For example, if someone has worked really hard and completed a difficult task, you could give the card which says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. . . Come and share your master’s happiness!” from Matthew 25. Along with the card you could give words of blessing, as you compliment that person on work well done. It could be a coworker or a child who just improved his grades at school or a mate who completed a tough assignment. Don’t you think that would be a blessing to them? 

You know, there’s always people in our churches who are the servant people—the ones who are doing the “dirty work,” the behind-the-scenes work, and are so very faithful. They don’t get a lot of recognition. Suppose you gave that person the card, which says, “Serve one another in love,” while thanking them for their life of service. I can only imagine how blessed they would be, just to know their service is noticed and appreciated.  

There could be an occasion where your word of blessing could be a challenge to a person, at just the right moment, given in the right spirit. Take this give-away card, which says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you." This little card, given with words of encouragement and understanding, empathizing with the difficulty of forgiveness but helping them remember that they will find freedom through forgiveness—well, it could really be a blessing to them, don’t you think?   

There are so many people in my life who have blessed me and continue to do so. I just don’t know how I would carry on without them. We need each other. And we can be a blessing to others. So, be a blessing today. You’ll find this set of 31 cards to help you develop this gift of giving away blessings here.

We often say “Bless you” when someone sneezes. But wouldn’t it be a lot more meaningful if we did more than just utter a cliché and instead, we became intentional about giving away blessings? That’s what I’m encouraging you to do, and to help you get in the habit, we’ve designed a set of 31 lovely cards, each with a verse of Scripture, which you can use to give away a blessing, and you’ll find those here.   

For example, you might give someone this blessing, from Song of Songs, which says, “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come." In fact, for an extra measure, you could give the card with a flower, and simply say, “I thought you might like a reminder of God’s beautiful creation. Flowers really can put a song in your heart, don’t you think?" Even if that person is not yet a believer in Jesus Christ, they would so appreciate a blessing like that. It’s small, but it says, “I thought of you; I care about you; I bless you." It’s a give-away blessing!   

Another one of these cards has the verse from Romans 8, which says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." That would be a wonderful blessing to give to a fellow-believer, perhaps your pastor or someone on your church staff who is going through some tough times. They might really appreciate just a reminder that God is working for their good. 

I wonder if you know someone who is really worried right now? Maybe they’re waiting on some test results from the doctor, or they think they might get laid off from their job. It could be a blessing to give them this card which says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  

You may have a family member who needs encouragement, your mother or father or sibling. Sometimes we overlook those closest to us, and they need blessings too. Another card says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful,” from Hebrews 10. That could be such a sweet give-away blessing for the right person at the right time.   

If you really want to become someone who blesses others, these give-away blessings will help you develop that spiritual discipline. This set of 31 cards is here, free for you to print and give away. I hope you’ll do that.

How often do you give away a blessing? We have lots of examples in the Bible of blessing and being blessed. There are many verses in the Psalms which talk about how God blesses us:  

“For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12). 

And there are passages where we bless the Lord:   

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1).  

But did you know that we can bless others by some act or word of kindness or encouragement? I want to talk about give-away blessings, to encourage us all to become very intentional about giving a blessing to others, in word or deed. In fact, we have designed a set of 31 lovely cards, a month’s worth of blessings you can give away. They’re linked here for you to access and use. Each card has a verse on it, and that word from God could be a great blessing to the right person at the right moment.   

For example, one card says, “Carry each other’s burdens." You could give that card to someone who is carrying a heavy burden of some sort. And as you hand it to that person, you could simply say, “I know you’ve got a heavy burden on your heart right now. I just want you to know that I’m carrying it with you; I’m praying for you, and I care." That simple give-away blessing could make a world of difference to that person.  

Or you might want to encourage a good friend of yours, a friend who has stood with you through happy times and sad times, a friend you cherish and appreciate. The give-away blessing you could choose for that friend says, “A friend loves at all times,” from Proverbs 17. It would give you an opportunity to thank your friend for all the times she has loved you and helped you.   

Would you like to get in the habit of giving away blessings? What a wonderful way to become encouragers and to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, where you work, where you live—anywhere that God directs you to give away a blessing. If that is something you’d like to do, and you will indeed give away these cards as God directs, then you’ll find these cards with give-away blessings here. Easy to print and give to others.

Jesus often taught with parables—stories that illustrated his message. It's a very effective teaching method, and so this on-going story of Fran will hopefully help us see a biblical truth more clearly.

Also, we need to learn how to practice the presence of Jesus on a daily basis. We know that the Spirit of God is with us continually when we're born from above, but too many Christians don’t seem to be truly aware of his presence and the power available to them because he is right there beside us. I hope these stories help us learn to practice the presence of Jesus all the time.

We know that Jesus doesn’t speak to us in audible words, but his Spirit within us can definitely give us clear guidance, which is always based on the truth of Scripture. So, the words of Jesus which I’ve written in this dramatic setting are all true to Scripture.

Fran has had quite a few struggles on her job, but each time God has made a way and helped her do the right thing. This Monday morning, as she wakes to face another day, Fran is totally unmotivated. Nothing in her wants to get up and get going. So, she waits until the last minute, then gets up in a rush. Getting her two kids ready to go to school turns out to be a bigger chore than usual and she ends up raising her voice and arguing with them as she hurries them to get going. It's not a good start for her week.

As she maneuvers through the bumper-to-bumper commute, she remembers that Jesus is there beside her, going to work with her again. "Good morning," he says cheerily. "Morning," Fran replies, hoping there won't be any conversation. She's not in the mood.

"Not a great Monday start, huh Fran?" Jesus asks. She forces a smile but still keeps quiet. She had intended, as usual, to spend some quiet time with Jesus early in her day, but she missed it today. Well, that happens sometimes, and Jesus will just have to understand. Fran thinks to herself.

"You seem a little angry this morning, Fran," Jesus comments. "Do you know why?"

"No. I'm not angry; just tired. Guess I'm not in the mood to talk much," she answers.

"Could it be the argument you had on the phone last night with your mother? There were some pretty strong words between you.” Jesus keeps pushing Fran to talk to him.

Now she is visibly angry. The last thing she wants to think about is the fight she had with her mother last night. But she tries to cover up her feelings and says, "Well, we just don't see eye-to-eye on everything and sometimes Mom tries to tell me what to do. I'm a grown woman and I don't like to be told what to do," and even as she says the words, she's knows how bad they sound.

"Do you think you treated her with respect, since she is your mother?" Jesus probes.

Fran doesn't like it when Jesus starts asking these kinds of questions. She squirms a little as she weaves in and out through traffic, trying to be preoccupied with her driving and ignore Jesus. But he won't let her do that.

"I'm sure you don't always agree, but were those harsh words necessary, Fran?"

"Okay, okay, Jesus. I'll call her today and apologize. It's my fault; it's always my fault!" Fran responds in frustration.

"I don't think an apology will do much good with that attitude, Fran," Jesus replies, as they turn into the parking lot at the office. Fran is relieved they are there because she really doesn't want to talk about this anymore. She said she'd apologize; what more does Jesus want?

As they walk into the office, Fran finds a notice on her desk that a prospect has cancelled an appointment with her today. "Oh, good grief," Fran exclaims. "I've waited two weeks for this appointment, got everything ready, and now he cancels.” She slams her attaché on her desk and turns to take off her coat.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lord, I forgot...” her voice trails off.

"You forgot I was here? That's okay, Fran. But I am here, even when you forget," Jesus says to her calmly.

Fran feels very ashamed, but what can she say?

Would you have ever guessed that a man from the Old Testament could offer us a godly role model for Christians in the marketplace today? Daniel is that man. If you haven’t read the book of Daniel lately, I encourage you to do so, because there’s so much there to encourage you in your life today.

As you read his story, you will see that:

Daniel’s greatest testimony was his work habits and dedication to doing his job right.

“Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom” (Daniel 6:3). This caused much jealousy among the satraps, so they set out to find something against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.

“They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (Daniel 6:4b).

What a testimony! Neither corrupt nor negligent. I never really think of myself as corrupt, do you? Yet let’s take a look at what comes under the heading of corrupt: guilty of dishonest practices like cheating on the expense account, using company assets for your own benefit, disloyal to your employer, giving reports that exaggerate the good and overlook the bad, to name a few.

And even if we pass the corrupt test, here comes “never negligent.” You mean, never neglecting to do what you’re supposed to do? Never failing to give it all you’ve got? Never failing to fulfill promises and follow-up as required? Never overlooking the stuff you hate to do and leaving it undone? Never?

I’m guilty! I wouldn’t want my work habits to be as closely scrutinized as Daniel’s were. With all those satraps looking for something to hang him with, they could find nothing.

Do you see why Daniel gives us such a great role model of a Christian working in the secular workplace?

Let me ask you, do you thoroughly like and enjoy everyone you work with and for? I hope so; that would be ideal. But it’s often true that you have certain coworkers who aren’t so easy to like.

Daniel had some very difficult coworkers too, people who were out to do him harm. People who were very jealous of him and wanted to bring him down. But in spite of their attitudes, Daniel kept his attitude right:

Daniel had a compassionate heart for his “co-workers.”

When Nebuchadnezzar was ready to kill the wise men of Babylon because they could not interpret his dream, Daniel went to Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, and interceded for these men. “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” he asked. Now, these men meant nothing to him personally, but he had a compassionate heart, and he knew it was wrong to execute them. So, he went to his trusted fellow-Israelites, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and urged them to pray for these men. God then revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel and the next day he asked Arioch not to kill the wise men, but instead to take him to Nebuchadnezzar because he could interpret the dream (Daniel 2).

Talk about sticking your neck out! Daniel was a man of great courage as well as great compassion. He cared about these men, even though they were not fellow-Israelites and indeed were astrologers and sorcerers and enchanters—men who were doing things directly opposed to God’s principles.

It’s not easy to have compassion for people sometimes, is it? Especially those who are antagonistic toward us, or who have no clue about true spirituality. Those whose lifestyles are sinful and against all you know to be right. But as God placed Daniel in the midst of these kind of people, so he does us as well, and he does it so we can show God’s love and compassion to people who have no clue what it’s all about.

Do you sometimes feel very out-of-place in your work environment? Because we live and work in a fallen world, we are often painfully reminded that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we just don’t fit in socially and culturally. Daniel had that same experience, as he was taken to a foreign land. But there in the midst of a totally secular and pagan culture, he stayed true to his biblical principles and did not allow the culture around him to drag him down to its level.

Daniel was deeply influenced by a letter the prophet Jeremiah sent to the exiles. In Daniel 9:2 we read: “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.” That letter, being prophetic in nature, was the Word of God.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. . . Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

Notice that Daniel and his close friends were to serve the Lord right there in Babylon, while they were in exile. They were to prosper and work and be involved in the society around them.

I believe God intends for his children to be involved in the pagan culture around us—to work in that culture and be a light in that culture and even be successful in that culture. But we’re never to compromise and adopt the sinful ways of the culture. In the world but not of the world—that is our challenge. Daniel and his three close friends were able to do it very well.

And you’ll note that Daniel knew the Word of God as delivered by the Prophet Jeremiah. Undoubtedly that was one of the main reasons he could make it in that culture, because he knew and believed the Word of God. We have it a bit easier because we have the whole written Word of God, and when we make that an integral part of our lives, it fortifies us to be strong for the Lord and stand true to his principles, as Daniel did.

Did you ever think that an Old Testament saint could be a great role-model for you as a Christian in the marketplace today? I can assure you that Daniel is that man. We’re looking at workplace principles from the life of Daniel. Consider this:

Daniel was taken completely out of his comfort zone, away from familiar people and surroundings, into a different culture altogether.

When you go to work each day, you are likely to be leaving your comfort zone and entering a different kind of world—maybe a pagan world. The pagan gods may be a bit different today, but they are there:

The god of materialism and success

The god of “I have my own truth”

The god of sexual pleasure

The god of any kind of pleasure

The god of “it’s all about me”

Our challenge is to remain true to the Lord even though we may work in Satan’s territory. Daniel—and his three faithful friends—were fully immersed in a pagan culture. They worked hard and succeeded in that society. But they did not accommodate their lifestyles or beliefs to the pagan world around them.   Their approach was obedient involvement. They stayed involved in the world, while at the same time remaining obedient to God and his principles.

Have you ever felt like a foreigner in your working world? Well, that’s because you are, if you’re a Christ-follower. This world is not your home. Peter wrote that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood a holy nation, a people belonging to God. He goes on to remind us that we are aliens and strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:9).

But Jesus has you there—in that pagan culture—for a purpose. And when you keep a joyful spirit, it is one of the most powerful weapons you have, both to fight off the enemy, to sustain you—because the joy of the Lord is our strength—and to testify to those around you that you have a good reason to be joyful.