November 18, 2020
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)
Do you realize what God has done for you in Christ? Notice the three uses of "bless" in the verse above. Paul blesses God because he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
The next fourteen verses are one long sentence where he lists those incredible blessings that are true (whether you realize it or not) if you are a child of God.
1. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before Him. (Vs. 4).
2. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself (vs. 5)
3. He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved, His grace. (vs. 5-6)
4. In Him we have redemption through His blood (vs. 7
5. In Him we have the forgiveness of our trespasses (vs. 7)
6. He lavished on us the riches of His grace. (vs. 7)
7. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will (vs. 9)
8. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will (vs. 11) Of that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (vs. 12)
9. We believed, by His grace (vs. 13)
10. We were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession (vs. 13-14)
Pause and think on these blessings this morning. Realize all is well, both now and eternally and then go out to meet the day!
Father, thank You for the incredible riches You have bestowed on me and on all those who have believed. We have every spiritual blessing. All we need. All we could ever want. Let me not forget this and live in light of these truths today. And give me boldness to share this good news with those around me who need to hear the gospel today!
May 08, 2025
All of us are dramatically shaped by how we view ourselves. Some have too low a perspective; some too high. To be imbalanced here is harmful in either direction.
May 06, 2025
We spend our lives trying to gain certain things and are full of joy when we get them. Our first car, our first job, our first home. Reputation, and prestige, and influence. The list is long. But is it possible to have all those things and not have the most important thing?
April 30, 2025
And then he said with a twinkle in his eye that had seen nine decades plus, “I believe this may be the best season of my life!”
