Blessing after blessing

Yesterday when I was walking outside I had this children's song on my mind that's from my daughter's cd. In Finnish it's "Jeesus sua rakastaa, tosi paljon rakastaa, tahtoo sua siunata, johdattaa ja varjella..." Translated in English: "Jesus loves you, he loves you very much, he wants to bless you, guide you and keep you..." I was actually a bit annoyed because I had the song in my head the whole time I was walking around our little town, about an hour. But when I was nearly home, when someone came walking past me, and I still had the song in my head, I realised that I had blessed all the people that I saw on my walk. I think that God had put that song in my head as a reminder for me to bless the people I see and to bless my hometown. I browsed my Bible again and found some good passages about blessing others.

First, who should we bless? Of course those who are close to us, family and friends, but not the people we don't want to bless, right?

Luke 6:27-28
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.


Romans 12:14
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.


So that means everybody. Especially the ones we don't like to bless. God wants to bless us all, and He actually has blessed us:

John 1:15-16
John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Furthermore, God's blessing is not like any blessing:

Ephesians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

It's nice to receive blessings, but why should we bless others or join in their sorrows? Look at the following passages:

1 Corinthians 9:22-23
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have became all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with each other; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

So we should bless so that we may be blessed by God's incredible blessing. So start blessing the people that come your way, and you will be blessed yourself.