Midas Touch The Blessings

Although steel, earth, ominous fog and violent manners seem at the forefront...

Ancient myths and legends serve a purpose - lessons.

Lessons on life, about our human characteristics, and at times warnings.

Modern myths and legends may also carry lessons within them.

Poetry is an artful way of conveying a lesson, an insight, or some form of truth among the color of language and the use of fiction.

In meeting the several lessons derived from the myth of Midas, and how his desire for gold turned into a curse, consider what can be positively derived.

Wise also to recognize the very real lessons found in that myth.

Midas is a character portrayed to have desired the power to turn to gold anything he touched.

A 'gift' he considered would be a blessing.

Once this desire was granted, little did he know that the power was not according to his will.

He couldn't turn it 'off'.

You can read how that legendary story developed and the various inherent lessons.

To enlarge the positive lesson, in a way that may also clarify what is truly a blessing from a likely curse, we can explore where blessings are always 'good' in delivery and purpose.

... we may be tempted to focus on man's manners and his ideas...

We can learn how when, checking our heart's desires in relation to what is right from wrong, we can possibly recognize clearly what the blessings we've been bestowed with are... and from where they Originate.

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, 

the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 

All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 

The fruit of your womb will be blessed, 

and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock— 

the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 

Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. 

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.  

The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you.  

They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.  

- Deuteronomy 28: 1-7

From a personal standpoint, I cannot get into great detail how true these promises in Deuteronomy have been for me... and are for you.

God's blessings do not bring along with them curses.

However, when we go astray... it is our actions that may bring consequences.

The good gift is surely good... and is to be used for good.

Notice the caveat is obedience.

... yet there is a ship... 'your ship'... off in the horizon... perhaps a bit difficult to 'see'....

One may interpret 'incentive' or 'payoff', but I see the very real responsibility of doing what is right to avoid injury to self and to others, not so much just to receive reward.

Rewards are a byproduct, not the actual 'gold'.

Protection is the promise, and it is through obedience that we participate in that protection.

And whatever you do, 

whether in word or deed, 

do it all in the Name of the Lord Yeshua,  

giving thanks to God the Father through Him… 

...Whatever you do, 

work at it with all your heart, 

as working for the Lord,  

not for human masters, 

since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. 

It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 

Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. 

- Colossians 3: 17, 23-25

It is not only those serving in an official kingdom role who are favored, but all of God's children.

It is not only those with public vocations or titles that receive God's bounty of goodness.

... but when we focus and fix our eyes... we may see the Way to safely sail gloomy seas.