Every Spiritual Blessing!

(Ephesians 1:3-4 ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Like many Americans, I don’t have the resources to possess EVERYTHING I want. Have you ever daydreamed about what it would be like to have unlimited resources? To have enough money to buy anything you want, whenever you want it? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to own properties, and have bank accounts like so many of the rich people of the world? I’d say most of us have…

My mind was captivated by the words of Ephesians 1:3-4. I literally had to stop reading and  try to take in all that was being said in this short statement. The writer starts by establishing the source of our blessings. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” The word “blessed” suggests that God is “endowed” with everything necessary to meet the needs of His people. There is, literally, no lack in his holdings! If we take it a step further, we realize that His “endowment” was not an inheritance, but came from His own creative process. God literally makes everything He distributes!

I remember a song made popular several years ago by The Imperials entitled No Shortage. Some of the lyrics are…

There’s a shortage on corn
And there’s a shortage on wheat
There’s a shortage on beans
And there’s a shortage on meat
Things that we’re needing we just can’t hardly buy
Soon we’ll be asking if we’re all gonna die
But I know a great thing that there’s no shortage of
There’s no shortage on God’s mercy
There’s no shortage on God’s love

There’s a shortage on friendship
There’s a shortage on smiles
There’s a shortage on neighbors
Though there’s millions for miles
Thank Heaven for one thing that there’s no shortage of
There’s no shortage on God’s mercy
There’s no shortage on God’s love

Think about that! We all run short occasionally, but our Heavenly Father never runs out of ANYTHING, and He share generously!

The writer continues by saying, “who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Every spiritual blessing? Yep. That’s what it says. Notice, it does not say, “every natural blessing.” There are many things we desire that would not benefit us spiritually.

In my “middle-aged” years, I have become keenly aware of the importance of having an eternal perspective. We can’t even imagine all that God has reserved for us “when we all get to Heaven.”  But, that’s not really what Paul is saying here. Actually, he is saying that God has made available EVERY spiritual blessing through Jesus Christ in the HERE AND NOW. Yes, there are treasures “laid up” for us… but, until the day God calls us home, we will be well supplied with EVERY spiritual blessing through Jesus. And, that’s just AMAZING!

PRAYER: Father, I’m so grateful that You do not withhold any good thing from Your people. Every good and pleasant gift comes from You–the Father of Lights! I’m amazed, excited, and thankful for that reality. Amen.