Deuteronomy 33:16 speaks of the "precious things of the earth and its fulness" (Heb.). In 1 Corinthians 3:21 and 22 we find a New Testament word that corresponds to this: "For all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours." According to these verses, "all things" includes death. Thus, even death, which includes all negative things, is a blessing. We, the children of God, are the blessed people. We are the Josephs under God's blessing.
When I was young, I did a great deal of selection. For instance, I told the Lord that I wanted to be healthy, not ill, and that I did not want to suffer from certain kinds of things. I wanted to have everything that was good. Eventually, however, the selection did not depend on me. Things did not turn out to be according to my choice. When I first came into the Lord's ministry, I prayed very much and asked the Lord to give me a co-worker who was always nice, one who was neither too strong nor too weak. In my prayer I said, "Lord, You know me and You know what I need. I need a nice person, one who is neither too quick nor too slow." But today I do not like to have any selection. Sometimes the co-worker who is not so nice in my eyes is the one who becomes the greatest blessing to me.
The same is true in married life and in family life. It is difficult for me to tell anyone what kind of wife is the best wife. When I was young, I could tell you, but I cannot tell you today. Perhaps the wife who seems to be the worst will become the greatest blessing to you. You need to believe that all things, including a difficult wife, are blessings. Furthermore, whether your children are nice or naughty, they are a blessing to you. Many times naughty children are a greater blessing than nice ones. You may ask the Lord for nice children, but He may give you naughty ones. However, even those naughty ones are a blessing.
It is even a blessing to have something stolen from us. When something was stolen from me in my youth, I became angry. But today it does not matter whether you give me something or steal something from me. It does not matter whether I gain a thousand dollars or lose a thousand dollars. Perhaps losing a large amount of money will be a greater blessing than receiving the same amount. But one thing I know—everything is a blessing; everything is a gain. But when I was young, I would lose my peace for several hours even over losing a handkerchief. But if today I lost something worth a thousand dollars, I still would have the peace to sleep soundly. To suffer over the loss of something like this indicates that you are under the curse. When the worldly people lose even a small amount of money, they cannot sleep. But if we lose a large amount, we can still praise the Lord for the blessing that such a loss will bring in. As long as I am not touched by a particular loss, I am blessed. Because we are under the blessing, no loss is truly a loss to us. Although we are not yet in the new heaven and the new earth, we have a foretaste of it today. We need the vision to see that we are today's Joseph and that everything is a blessing to us.
I do not like the rumors that are being spread about us. But others can testify for me that I praise the Lord because all these rumors are blessings to us. They are a form of free advertisement. Because of these rumors, my name has become famous throughout the world. I did not have to pay anything for all this advertising. I have never gone to Central America or to Africa, but my name is known there. Thus, even the rumors are a blessing.
Whether or not all things are blessings does not depend on what happens; it depends on who we are. If we are Joseph, everything is a blessing. But if we are Reuben, everything is a curse. My burden in this message is to impress you with the fact that to us everything is a blessing. There is no need to list all the items of the universal blessing in detail. All things are blessings. This is not a mere doctrine; it is what I have experienced.
Nothing bothers me because I realize that everything is from my Father. Everything, good or bad, positive or negative, is a blessing. We all must believe this. Even if we lose something, that loss is a blessing. Paul said that all things are ours, whether Paul, Peter, Apollos, life, death, or any other thing. Formerly, we were Reubens, but now we are Josephs. As long as we are Josephs, whatever betide, everything is a blessing. If you hate me, that is a blessing. If you love me, that also is a blessing. If you rob me, that is a blessing. If you give me something, that also is a blessing. No matter how you treat me, with love or with hatred, what you do to me is a blessing. If you do not do anything, that also is a blessing. I am altogether blessed. Because I am not a Reuben, but a Joseph, I am a blessed person. Praise the Lord that in the church we are Josephs!
Consider Joseph's experience. He was hated and betrayed by his brothers, and he was placed into some difficult situations. Nevertheless, everything that happened to him was a blessing. What his brothers did to Joseph turned out to be a blessing. When Joseph made himself known to his brothers in Egypt, he said, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life" (Gen. 45:5). Joseph also said, "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good" (50:20). Joseph seemed to be saying, "You don't need to be afraid of me or worried about what I will do to you, for everything you did to me was a blessing." Everything in the universe is a blessing to us. Time, space, the heavens, the earth, the air, the things underneath the earth, all persons, all matters, and all things—everything is a blessing to us. Oh, we must believe this! In the early days I held this as a mere belief. But now I can testify with an honest heart that in my experience it is truly so. Everything that happens to us is a blessing.
In Jacob's prophecy with blessing there is a condition for blessing the first ten sons, but not with Joseph. Joseph's blessing is unconditional. If we saw this, we would simply pray, "Lord, I don't know what is good or what is bad. Lord, I only pray that Your will be done." Everything depends upon whether you are a Reuben or a Joseph. It does not depend upon the heavens, the earth, the air, or anything else. If you are a Reuben, everything will be a curse and a loss. But if you are a Joseph, everything will be a gain. Nothing in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could be a loss to you. Rather, all things will work together for good to you as long as you love the Lord (Rom. 8:28). Even the most insignificant thing works together for your good. Your neighbors, in-laws, and friends all work together for your good because you are blessed.
All the New Testament believers are Josephs. You may not feel that you are a Joseph, but the Lord says that you are. As long as you are a believer, you are no longer a Reuben, but a Joseph. Because you are a Joseph, everything that happens to you is a blessing. Heaven, earth, the snow, the rain, the dew, and everything under the earth is a blessing to you. This is the reason the New Testament tells us to thank the Lord for all things (Eph. 5:20; 1 Thes. 5:18). I wonder whether the parents of naughty children ever thank the Lord for their naughty children. If you have a naughty child, you must thank the Lord, saying, "Lord, how I thank You for this naughty child. Lord, I thank You for this dissenting, rebellious child. What a blessing this child is to me!" If such a child remains a Reuben, everything will be a curse to him. But if he believes in the Lord, he will become another Joseph, and then whatever happens to him will be a blessing. If you read the New Testament carefully, you will see that the New Testament believers are the blessed people. We are those under the universal blessing. This is why we should not curse anyone (Rom. 12:14). Because everything is a blessing to us, we cannot help but bless others. Even if others do something bad to us, that bad thing is a blessing. Hence, there is no need for us to curse them; instead of cursing, we would bless them. We may say, "Thank you for hating me. God bless you. Your hatred is a blessing to me. I can bless you in any kind of situation. If you treat me well, I bless you. If you mistreat me, I still bless you." Praise the Lord that we are the blessed people!
If you see this, you will realize that you are under God's blessing. However, we often still speak in a natural way. When we gain something, we thank the Lord for His blessing. But when we lose something, usually we do not thank Him. We need to see the vision that we are Josephs, that we are the blessed people, that we are under God's blessing. Whatever happens to us, good or bad, we should say, "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! This is a blessing."
We often ask people, "Are you saved?" But now we should learn to ask them, "Are you blessed?" Whenever we are asked this question, we should reply, "Yes, we are blessed." Fundamental Christians often speak of believers as being blood-redeemed and Spirit-regenerated. We need to learn to say that we are the universally blessed people. Our home, family, and all that belongs to us is a blessing, no matter how bad things may sometimes be. We never know what the result of a thing will be. Today something may seem to be good, but it may turn out to be bad. However, a certain thing may seem very bad, but turn out to be good. Only the Lord knows. Whether things are good or bad, the result is the same. It does not make any difference whether our children are nice or naughty, whether our husband or wife is easy to live with or difficult. To Joseph everything is a blessing. If you see this, you will enjoy rest and peace. You will say, "Hallelujah! We have been selected, predestinated, called, and saved, and now we are being blessed." We are the blessed people, those under God's blessing, and everything is a blessing to us. All things are ours.