God's Blessings

Blessings! Blessings!

God “has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 1: 3

When I returned to this verse a few weeks ago, something was different. I couldn’t bring myself to move on. Day after day I went back to it. Since then I have been trying to grasp it in its fullness (which is perhaps impossible), to see what it means to me, and what application it has for my life.

Through the Holy Spirit we can both understand and take hold of the blessings. I noticed, with joy, that God has already given us “all spiritual blessings, in heavenly places, in Christ. A lot of deep meaning is wrapped up here. First, we have been given the blessings, so they are now in our possession! Next, notice the quality of the blessings – they are spiritual (exactly what all believers need). Also, the blessings are not of this earth (which can bog us down too much), they are heavenly – and can therefore uplift and transform us into heavenly, Christ - like beings (exactly what God intends for us). But how is it that we could be so fortunate, so blessed? The answer is simple and yet miraculous. It is because of Christ and all that He has already done on our behalf.

But can we honestly say that our lives reflect such blessings, that they are functional in our lives? It is possible that some people are not even aware of what God has offered us. And therefore they have not yet accepted the blessings, the myriads of blessings, available for our Christian walk. The blessings cover a very wide area, especially when we consider all the promises that God has also made to us. We should take hold of our precious inheritance. It is so fantastic that it can be overwhelming. Based on that verse, I started to make a list of the blessings that I am claiming and that I need right now. For example, I want the blessing of a greater awareness that my life in its entirety depends on God’s love and grace (Jesus said “Without me you can do nothing.”) and with such a blessing, my life is already changing. Also, I have claimed the blessing of a deeper awareness that Christ is my life, that I am “not my own”, that I was “bought with a price” (1Cor.6:19-20). Like the psalmist, I am exclaiming to God “I am yours”! With an acceptance of such blessings in my life, I cannot help but grow spiritually because I am learning to trust my Redeemer more.

Why not claim and use the blessings that you especially need in your life at this time? Making a list might help you to focus.

Al Jones.