God Bless You... Its Nothing to Sneeze About!

Why do people say, "God bless you" when someone sneezes?  One source claims that people long ago believed a sneeze could release the soul from the body and allow an evil spirit to return in its place. "God bless you" was offered as a shield against evil spirits.  Another source says the custom began during an outbreak of the bubonic plague.  Sneezing was seen as an early symptom of the plague. God's blessing was given as a sort of antidote.  What ever the reason, God's blessing is nothing to sneeze about.

The Bible is full of blessings. Here are a few to take with you today: 

• May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent from one another. -- Genesis 31:49 

• May the Lord bless you, and protect you; May the Lord smile on you, and offer grace to you; May the Lord show you his favor And give you his peace. -- Numbers 6:24-26 

• May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you his grace and peace. -- I Corinthians 1:3 

•  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship  of the Holy Spirit be with you all.            -- 2 Corinthians 13:14 

•  May you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -- Romans 15:13 

•  May the Lord of peace himself always give you his peace no matter what happens. The Lord be with you all!            -- 2 Thessalonians 3:16

God wants to bless us today, and when God blesses us, its nothing to sneeze about.