Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Blessed!
Today’s Verse:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ~Ephesians 1:3
One of the great signs of spiritual contentment is when someone asks us how we are doing, we say with great rejoicing, “I’m blessed!” In the opening verses of Ephesians 1, Paul is instructing the believers at Ephesus on how blessed they were. They were a people saved out of an idolatrous life. They were bound and captive in spiritual darkness. When Jesus came into their lives, they experienced a peace and joy that the former life could not come close to giving them. Let us consider how blessed we are with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
We are blessed that we have been FAVORED.
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love,” vs. 4. God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins. Within the grand scheme of salvation is the glorious goal that we become like God. God provides everything we need to be holy and without blame in Him. In contrast to this, the former pagan life the Ephesians lived led them down a spiral of sinful drunkenness, immoral affairs, and relational failures. What a blessing that we are saved to a higher life!
We are blessed that we are in the FAMILY.
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,” vs. 5-6. The moment a person accepts Christ as Savior, that person becomes an adopted son of God. He is an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ. Family privileges enable us to call on our Father in heaven in prayer. Family position makes us accepted in the beloved! The pagan life they previously lived led to broken families. Being saved brought them into a family filled with love and satisfaction!
We are blessed that we are FORGIVEN.
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace,” vs. 7. The ransom price for our sins was paid in full by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. Every sin that is past, present, and future is forgiven by our Lord. All of this is because of God’s amazing grace. The grace that saves gives us such forgiveness that God looks on us as if we’ve never sinned.
We are blessed that we have a FOCUS.
“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ,” vs. 11-12. As an unsaved pagan, they formerly lived for sensual pleasure that did not satisfy. There was no meaning or higher goal in life. Being saved gives the focus to live for God’s glory. The most important person to please each moment of the day is our Lord.
We are blessed that we are given a FRIEND.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory,” vs. 13-14. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, or the One comes alongside of us. This is a precious way of saying He is our best friend Who is right there with us. His indwelling seals us into the saved relationship, and is the evidence of our future glorification.
Wow! When we take all of this into account, we are blessed! The earthly life we have is no comparison to the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. I’m thankful I’m blessed; how about you?
Have a blessed God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Samuel 4-8
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