A blessing to those around

Being a child of God means that you are blessed, but what does that mean for the people around you?

In Acts 27, an account is given of Paul's journey to Rome to appear on trial before Caesar. He was being transported on a ship as a prisoner along with other prisoners and some guards. They encountered a major storm that threatened their lives for many days, and they were forced to throw out a lot of cargo, including food, which they went without for many days. But Paul was able to encourage them. He said,

"Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” (Acts 27:21-26)

All 276 of the people on board survived. (Read the whole story here) God saved them because Paul was aboard with them. God blessed them because they were around Paul. As a child of God, oftentimes, blessings don't come to you alone, but it spreads to those around you. Other times, the blessings are given so that you can also be a blessing to those around you.

On the flip side, sometimes we contract blessings by being around other children of God, which is why it's important to surround yourself with those types of people, and this is not to say you shouldn't go close to others. But being around like-minded Christians helps you grow spiritually and gives you the opportunity to share in their blessings.

May the peace and love of Christ be with you all!!!