ZECHARIAH 8:13

“‘“And it will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.”’”

You have probably known people that just appear to be too good to be true. You may not have heard this expression, but it’s one we use down south. We say, “They are so sweet, butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth.” This means that they appear to be so nice and kind but are really not. Those kind of people can be hard to deal with. 

God doesn’t want you to be that way. Never had, never will. In today’s verse, He is urging the people of Israel to be a blessing. In fact, He says that is why He is saving them. He had a purpose behind His actions. He has been giving them all these promises in chapter eight. However, He expects them to behave in a grateful manner, not just to Him but to others as well.

APPLICATION

How can you do that? How can you be a blessing to others? Let me tell you something. If you try to do this in your own power, you will fail miserably. You will be doing just find until someone comes along who “butter won’t melt in their mouth.” They will try your last nerve. Try as you might, you can’t be a blessing to them. They just won’t let you. Jesus faced the same kind of people. The religious leaders of the time gave Jesus that attitude. What did He call them? You brood of vipers!

Oh, but listen! Jesus died for them too. Yep, His sacrifice was for all mankind, the Sadducees and Pharisees too. Jesus said in Luke 6:28, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Paul goes on to say in Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them.” Hmmm! Those two said almost the exact same words. That is our command. To bless others, even those who persecute or curse you.

Of course, the ultimate example we have of this is Jesus on the cross when he said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Wow! Even those who crucified Jesus were blessed by Him. He asked the Father to forgive them. Whomever has harmed you the most, you should bless. That’s a hard pill to swallow, isn’t it? That is why I said at the beginning that you can’t do this on your own. But Christ can do it through you. Will you let Him?

Father, make me a blessing to others, even those who persecute and curse me.