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Aug 19, 2022 08:00am

Cashing In On Our Unclaimed Blessings

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Several years ago, a cousin of mine was searching through the Unclaimed Property database for the state that we had grown up in. And lo and behold, he came across a name that was identical to my mother’s first and last name. So he sent me a message that I might want to check into that.

I could not imagine it being my mom. She had died almost twenty years earlier. And even if it was, I was pretty sure that it would not be of significant value. Yet the fire was lit. There was no way that I was not going to investigate to see if it was something that I was entitled to.

And If I was entitled to it, I sure would do whatever it took to get it.

I have always been that way. I think that I am fairly generous person. But I don’t want to miss out on anything that I am entitled to. As the old saying goes, I don’t want to leave anything on the table that is rightfully mine.

But I am convinced that most of us leave a tremendous amount of blessings on the table. And I think it happens in every area of life:

There are learning opportunities available to us that we fail to take advantage of.

There are blessings of good health that we let slip away one unhealthy habit at a time.

We let worry rob us of many of the joys of this life.

We would be shocked if we could see the number of great friendship opportunities that have passed us by over the years unnoticed.

And the list goes on and on.

But I think the most profound blessings we often miss are those available to us from God Himself through our relationship with Christ. Blessings that you and I are entitled to because of our faith in Jesus.

Now, I know that some of you may object to my use of the word “entitled” in reference to godly blessings. And I understand that. After all, not one of us has ever done anything worthy of those blessings.

But that’s the point.

THE CASE FOR OUR ENTITLEMENT

Our entire Christian faith is based on the grace, generosity, and goodness of God that can be accessed only through our faith in Jesus as our Savior, not through what we deserve.

And once we reach that point of faith, there are blessings God has promised. So in my mind, if God has promised them, we are entitled to them. They are part of the deal.

But unless we reach that point of faith, we are leaving those blessings on the table. And that is a tremendous tragedy.

Certainly the blessings of God are too enormous for us to attempt to grasp. But I share with you seven that stand out to me:

1. Connection

Through our faith in Christ, we are granted a personal connection to God. Stop reading for a moment and think about that. You and I do not have to go through anyone to access God: no receptionist, no pastor, no security, no anybody. Jesus has already opened that door for us. We just have to walk through it.

2. Help

Imagine for a moment having the God of the universe personally directing your decisions and actions. Well, that is exactly the blessing that we receive when we come to faith in Christ. We are given the Spirit of God directly into our very being. He is there for the purpose of helping and guiding us. Yet we often leave that incomparable blessing on the table.

3. Grace

To be honest, the grace of God is beyond my understanding. How can it be so immense that it covers every possible word, action, and attitude in our lives? To be even more honest, sometimes I’m not even sure I agree with it. I mean, why should God work everything for our good even when we don’t deserve it? But that is a promise to those of us who are aligned with God.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)

4. Transformation

Try as we might, there are weaknesses, tendencies, and outright failures in our lives that we cannot overcome on our own. We can choose to fight the battles by ourselves and likely fail. Or we can choose the avenue of transformation available through our relationship with God. There is no power on earth like the power of God to transform our lives.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

5. Joy

I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you that by coming to faith in Christ you will always be happy. But I will tell you that you can find a deep-seated attitude of joy that you never knew was possible. Faith coupled with your alignment with God will make joy a defining characteristic of your life. I can’t explain it, but I have experienced it. And I know that it comes from God.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

6. Peace

When we come to Christ, our eternal future is assured. And the remainder of our life on this earth is connected to and guided by God himself. For much of my life, I lived in resistance to God. And there can never be any peace in that. When I accepted Christ and began to align with God, that feeling of life being a constant battle ceased. And I can assure you that there really is a peace that is beyond understanding.

“And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

7. Salvation

Perhaps I should have listed this blessing first instead of last. After all, none of the others are available to us without this one. It opens the door to tremendous blessings in this life. And it provides the blessing of a glorious life after this one. There can be nothing more important than the salvation which is available only by the grace of God. And that grace is only activated by our faith in Jesus. To leave this one on the table is the ultimate tragedy of all.

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

So while we might not deserve any of them, I do think it is fair to say that you and I are entitled to each of these seven blessings. But there is one condition. And it is faith in Christ.

Without that, we leave them all on the table.

Oh by the way, after much effort I did get my mom’s unclaimed property. It was a check for $37. And I was entitled to it!