Blessed by God’s high priest

Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, We are looking at this introductory phrase regarding Melchizedek. I pronounce his name that way because it is a compound word. Melchi means king, and zedek means righteousness. The author had been encouraging his readers that God swore that Jesus is an appointed high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek’s priesthood was a type of Jesus’ priesthood. In chapter 7, he decided to unpack the significance of this appointment. The story of Melchizedek is found in Gen. 14:17-20. "Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all." I want to encourage us today with the fact that Christ, like Melchizedek, was sent to bless those who are to inherit God’s promises. God had sworn he would bless Abraham, and Melchizedek is a fulfillment of God’s promise. Jesus Christ came to give a greater blessing than Melchizedek gave. Consider how God has blessed us because we are in Christ, who is God’s promised blessing to Abraham. On a daily basis, we are blessed in Christ. We have been rooted and grounded in Jesus for a purpose. The apostle Paul explained that blessing in a prayer he prayed for the Ephesians. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. We have been blessed to be filled up with all the fullness of God. Out of that fullness, we love both God and man. Living to love with Jesus is possible because we are rooted and grounded in Him so we can, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, experience His love as we share it with one another. So remember, you have been blessed by God’s high priest, Jesus Christ, as you journey through this world. Walk in the blessing of life in Christ, overflowing with gratitude.