Jeremiah 13:11
For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
God told Jeremiah to purchase a girdle and wear it without washing it. God then came a second time and told him to take that girdle and bury it by the Euphrates River. Many days later, God told Jeremiah to go back to where he buried that girdle and dig it up. When Jeremiah dug it up, he noticed that the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
God used this incident to teach Israel a lesson. The verse above says, as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah. God said His purpose in causing them to cleave to Him was so that they might be His people, that they might get a name among the world, and that it would be for the purpose of giving people something for which they could praise God.
However, Israel got used to the blessing of being God’s people. The danger of this blessing was that they forgot how blessed they were to be God’s people. They took for granted the blessing of being close to God and His blessings that He gave them because they got used to being close to God.
One thing every person must beware of is that they don't get used to God’s blessings. The danger of blessing is that you get used to it and forget the privilege it is to have the blessing. Many have forgotten how blessed they are and lost the excitement they received the first time the blessing came. The blessing you received multiple times should still be as exciting today as it was the first time you received it.
Let me explain. When I became Pastor at Maranatha Baptist Church, the church baptized sporadically throughout the years. God began to bless to where we saw people getting baptized several weeks in a row. People commented to me, “We have never seen this.” Then we baptized on a Sunday night, and that started happening on a regular basis. Again, they commented that what was happening on a regular basis was a rarity before I came. Then we baptized on a Wednesday night. I can remember the excitement of the people as they commented, “This has NEVER happened.”
Now, we baptize every week, and it is not uncommon to baptize converts every service. Right now, we baptize converts about every other Wednesday night service. However, what was once a novelty has now become a regular occurrence. What the people of MBC must be careful about is that we don't get used to the blessings of God and lose the excitement of those blessings.
My friend, the greatest danger of blessings is that we get used to them and lose the excitement of receiving them, then we start looking for something else that brings excitement. Instead of looking for something else to bring excitement, don’t lose the excitement of each of God’s continued blessings. You must understand that every time God blesses, it is of His mercy that He has chosen to bless again. Don't let the regularity of God’s blessings cause you to get used to them and lose the excitement of them. If you keep each blessing in perspective, you can keep the excitement of it despite the regularity that the blessing occurs.
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