All generation shall call you blessed.

“For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).

The Scripture above refers to Mary's testimony following the angelic visitation to the effect that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ after being conceived of the Holy Spirit. In the testimony, she saw a new beginning in her life, "henceforth, all generations will call me blessed" (not cursed, which is the opposite of blessed). Blessing (Hebrew, Baraka) denotes a bestowal of good, both material and spiritual, that brings about a state of happiness and prosperity. Curse is the opposite, a bestowal of evil that brings about a state of sorrow and poverty, stagnation, backwardness, unfruitfulness, etc.

It is the will of God that man be blessed in all areas of life (Gen. 24:1-2, 34-35; 3 John 2). The following constitutes the grounds of our blessings:

1. Blessed from creation, to be fruitful, Gen.1:28, including financial, biological, material and physical blessings.

2. Blessed in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Gen. 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; Gen28:14; Acts3:25. Take note, all the families of the earth, including your own, are blessed in Abraham. The same applies in Isaac and Jacob as stated.

3. Blessed in Jesus Christ, Rom. 15:29; Gal.3:13-14; 2 Cor. 8:9.

4. We were called to inherit blessings (not curses) 1 Pet. 3:9.

5. Curses cannot settle on us without a genuine cause, Prov. 26:2.

6. God has turned every curse into a blessing, Deut. 23:5; Neh. 13:2. Balaam couldn't succeed in cursing Israel, Num. 21-23.

9. Blessings come from obedience to God's word, honouring parents, hard-work, diligence, healthy relationship with spouse, tithing, good and bountiful offerings, caring for pastors, holy living, prayer, good thinking, walking with prosperous people, etc.

10. Blessings are both temporal (earthly) and eternal (eternal life).

As we celebrate this year's Easter, we should remember and reflect on the total redemption we are supposed to have through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This redemption includes salvation from sin, poverty, stagnation, backwardness, unfruitfulness and ultimately eternal damnation. Christ has redeemed us from every curse so that we can inherit the blessings of Abraham. All we have to do is to have faith in God's word, repent of our sins, be saved through Christ and follow the principles stated above and we shall enter a life when all generations will call us blessed, like Mary, who is celebrated (worshipped in some places) for being the mother of Jesus Christ.

Note: Always remember you are blessed.