Understanding God’s Double Blessing: How to Receive and Give God’s Goodness

God’s heart has always been to bless His people. From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world, God’s first instinct was to bless Adam and Eve. This reveals something fundamental about God’s character – He is a God who chooses blessing. It’s His nature, His instinct. God wants to bless His creation, and that includes you and me.

What Does It Mean to Be Blessed by God?

To experience God’s blessing in your life, you must first know God personally. This requires surrendering your life to Him through what we call the ABCs of salvation:

Admit that you’re a sinner and have fallen short of God’s standard. None of us are righteous on our own.

Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Messiah who gave His life on the cross and shed His blood as payment for your sins.

Confess Him as your Lord and Savior, putting your life and trust in the finished work of the cross. This means no longer living for yourself, but choosing to follow Christ.

This foundational relationship with God through Christ is essential before His blessings can truly enter your life.

The Priestly Blessing: God’s Heart Revealed

In Numbers 6:24-26, God gave the priests a special blessing to speak over the nation of Israel: “May the Lord bless you, protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show His favor and give you his peace.”

This blessing reveals how personal God wants to be with His people. He’s not distant or detached – His face is turned toward us, His grace covers us, and His peace surrounds us. This same blessing that was given to Israel is fulfilled through Christ for us today.

We Are Called to Be a Royal Priesthood

Peter reminds scattered believers in 1 Peter 2:9 of their identity: “But you are not like that. For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. And as a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

Because of Christ’s work on the cross, every believer is now a priest. When Jesus died, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, symbolizing that the barrier between God and people was removed. We can go directly to God, and God can work directly through us.

How Do We Experience the Double Blessing?

The double blessing occurs when God pours His goodness into us, and we pour it out to others. This isn’t about hoarding God’s blessings for ourselves – it’s about becoming conduits of His grace.

Leading with Blessing

Jesus instructed His disciples in Matthew 10:12: “When you enter the home, give it your blessing.” He told them to lead with blessing first, not to wait until they had sized people up or determined if they were worthy.

This should be our default setting as Christians. We don’t pick and choose who deserves our kindness. We don’t wait until we feel safe or appreciated. We’re called to bring blessing with us everywhere we go because it’s part of our identity as followers of Christ.

Biblical Examples of Double Blessing

The Israelites: Prisoners of Hope

In Zechariah 9:12, God calls the returning exiles “prisoners of hope” and promises: “Even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, God didn’t just restore what they had lost – He gave them double.

Job’s Restoration

Job lost everything – his children, his livelihood, his health, and even the support of his friends. But in Job 42:10, we read: “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before.”

Notice that the double blessing came when Job prayed for those who had wounded him. God restored 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, 1,000 donkeys, and more children. Job took inventory and counted every blessing, making sure God got the credit.

Obedience Opens the Door to Blessing

God responds to obedience throughout Scripture. Blessing doesn’t often grow in soil where obedience is optional. When we honor God with practical obedience – including our generosity and tithing – we position ourselves to experience His multiplied blessing.

The Test of Tithing

Malachi 3:10 contains one of the only places where God asks us to test Him: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my temple. If you do, says the Lord of Heaven’s armies, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in. Try it. Put me to the test.”

When we honor God with the first portions of our income, we show that our trust in Him is real. We recognize that everything we have came from His hand to begin with.

Practical Ways to Flip the Blessing

Take Inventory of Your Blessings

Like Job, we need to slow down and count our blessings. When we recognize how God has blessed us, it changes our perspective and helps us see where God might be calling us to pour into someone else.

Recognize Your Unique Signature

Everyone has a different way they can be a blessing. God has given each person unique gifts, skills, and opportunities to impact others. Your signature might look completely different from someone else’s, but God wants to use it just the same.

Pay Attention to How People Receive Love

We all tend to give what comes naturally to us, but sometimes the biggest blessing is learning what speaks to someone else. For one person it might be time, for another a kind word, and for another a simple act of service.

Make It Joyful

Blessing others shouldn’t feel like an obligation. It should make you feel alive. You’ll never feel the presence of the Holy Spirit stronger than when you’re seeking to pass on what God has blessed you with.

Life Application

This week, commit to waking up each morning with this prayer: “Lord, show me who you want me to bless today.” Look for opportunities to be a blessing through your time, talents, resources, or simply encouragement. Remember that God has already placed more blessing in your life than you realize, and He’s positioned you in places where that blessing can make a real difference.

Consider these questions as you apply this message:

• What blessings in my life have I been hoarding instead of sharing?
• Who in my sphere of influence needs encouragement or practical help right now?
• How can I use my unique gifts and abilities to be a blessing to others this week?
• Am I walking in obedience to God in areas like generosity and service?

The double blessing isn’t complicated – God pours into you so you can pour into others. When you begin to live in this rhythm, you’ll discover that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed, and you’ll experience God’s goodness multiplied in ways you never expected.