Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Mt. 16:13-20

Wouldn’t it feel great to receive a verbal blessing directly from Jesus?  Doesn’t that sound good as Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!”  Wouldn’t it make your heart swell to hear Jesus say that to you?

We all need positive affirmations in our lives.  They keep us going.  And studies show that on average it takes five positive statements to overcome one negative one.

Perhaps we cannot hear directly from Jesus (although, by now you should know I would argue this point – if we just listen for God, God will speak), we can be Jesus-like to others and bless them.  In this day and age of negativity, of social media that spends more time tearing things down than building them up, we should be more like Jesus.

As you go through this week, start handing out blessings.  Bless everyone you encounter.  Find something positive to say to them.  Ignore the negatives and seek the good.  Become Jesus for others.

Peace,

Bill