Bible Gateway Blog

What does it mean to flip the blessing by blessing others in the way God has blessed us? How can we turn giving into a game and experience an exponential joy in the process? What does the Bible say about blessings?

Bible Gateway interviewed Mark Batterson (@MarkBatterson) about his book, Double Blessing: How to Get It. How to Give It. (Multnomah, 2019).

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, God Still Performs Miracles: An Interview with Mark Batterson]

What is the meaning of your book’s title?

Mark Batterson: The idea of “Double Blessing” traces all the way back to the prophet Zechariah. He is writing to Jewish refugees who have returned from 70 years of captivity in Babylon. “Return to your strong hold, O Prisoners of hope.” I love this! He is writing to prisoners of war, but he calls them prisoners of hope. Then God says in chapter 9, verse 12: “Today I declare that I will restore to you double.”

The NIV says, “I will restore twice as much.” The KJV says, “I will render double unto thee.” The NLT says, “I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.” The Message says, “I’m declaring a double bonus.”

I want to be really careful right here. I don’t think we can turn biblical principles into quadratic equations. I don’t think Double Blessing means a 200% return on every investment. Of course, sometimes it does. Job is exhibit A. Blessing doesn’t discount pain and suffering. Job endures unbelievable setbacks, unimaginable heartbreaks. But Job 42:10 says, “When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before.”

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