Giving a blessing

I say we can give a blessing that is a sort of prayer for God to do the thing we "bless" others with, kind of like Jacob's blessings on his sons. But saying "Bless you" for sneezes may cheapen it a lot. (I'm looking at myself here, as I say it when someone sneezes.)

I don't think of the evil spirit usage, but that was the prevailing theory of the cause of illness through much of history, so I can see why it would be related.

A lot of things can cheapen real blessings, like when people are looking for an extra measure of "good luck" or some such, and regard church blessings that way. But if we can ask God to bless a building (like the temple), why not a car, or a horse, at least as a mode of travel.

Solomon's blessing of the temple was more of a dedication of the building, a blessing on the people, a blessing upon God, and a renewal of the covenant between God and His people, though.

 

Saying "bless you" does not imply entry of an evil spirit. It is simply (or was) a cultural affectation. It indicates "best wishes" toward others, a display of both kindness and consideration. We used to value using mild language (as opposed to coarse language) because culturally we would not want to offend others. Now people play very loud radios to annoy others, totally the opposite behavior.

Christians who have learned from Christ know to choose their words carefully to build up rather than tear down. But consider the corrosive affect of PG-13 and R movies, the F bombs, and animosity spewed forth non-stop. We are in a war, and we have fifth columnists posting here in river city.

Act 3:26
“For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

How many of us bless others by being an effective witness for Christ?