Deuteronomy 7:7-8 The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

‍
God loved and blessed His people Israel, not because they were more deserving than another family or nation; His blessing was unmerited. The nation of Israel received unparallel spiritual and financial blessings, yet they missed the reason for their blessing! God blessed Israel so they could be a funnel of His blessing to the world around them!
‍

Psalm 67:1-2 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

‍

God wanted Israel to testify of and share His blessings so that the heathen nations around them would see the goodness of God in their lives and turn to Him. However, rather than using their blessing for the Lord, often their prosperity turned them away from the Lord. They were a worse testimony with blessings than they were without them.
‍

1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

‍

We, as Baptists Christians in America, are perhaps the most blessed people in the history of the world! We have a rich church heritage, a pure church, ample opportunities to serve, access to materials to learn the Word of God, finances, and freedom to serve God without fear of great persecution! We must be good stewards of these blessings because we are accountable for them.
‍

As a church, we have done a great job stewarding and recirculating God's blessings to the world around us. This pleased God and He has blessed us more for that! May we never allow the blessings of God to cause us to be selfish or lose sight of the purpose for them. This is when we will lose His blessing.
‍

Here are a few thoughts to ponder to see how we are stewarding the blessings:
  - Am I sharing the biblical truths I have been blessed to know?
  - Am I using the resources I have been blessed with, to make God known to the lost around me?
  - When people notice the blessings of God in my life, do I give the glory to God or take credit for the success?