“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing . . .” (1) And let’s just pause right there because the root word “bless” is mentioned three times already! The first blessed means “to speak well of,” to praise. Here Paul is praising God for being who he is—the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The second blessed means to “benefit” or “prosper.” God “has blessed us in Christ.” So, we benefit from being in Christ; we actually prosper, are rich—have more than we could ever need—in Christ! The important question, then, is what has our blessed God who has blessed us in Christ blessed us with? 🤪 And here’s the answer: “with every spiritual blessing,” which is defined as a nonmaterial and everlasting good thing. So, the blessings we receive from God are not temporal. Or material. God is much bigger than that.
We long for tangible things that quench our desires and comfort us now. God is interested in giving us things that really count. And note, he gives us “every spiritual blessing.” He is generous beyond our imagination. He actually “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (2). Peter explains it further by saying “his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (3) This is great news! We have everything we need! 😀
Then why do we not feel that we do? 😕 Why do we lack things, long for things, and despair over what we do not have? I think it is because we do not know what we need. We live in the here and now. Our lives are consumed with consumables. Our physical lives are insatiable and our spiritual lives are starved—not because we do not have what we need—but because we disagree with God about what we believe we need! 🙃 In essence, we hunger after the wrong things.
And so. We must come to terms with these facts: God knows what we need and only cares about what is good for us. Paul is very clear about God’s blessings on our lives. They are always given “according to the purpose of his will.” (4) He actually uses this phrase (or a derivative of it) five times in the first seven sentences of Ephesians. (It’s important!) 🙄
So, God’s blessings will always be in line with “the purpose of his will.” The great news is that his will is to bless us “according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.” His blessings include—but are not limited to—being chosen, redeemed, and forgiven, being in possession of a glorious eternal inheritance, while being “strengthened with power through his spirit.” (5)
And although God’s purpose is unique for each of us, there is one purpose that is for all of us—and that is this: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (6)
And being “filled with all the fulness of God” surpasses any thing that this world can offer. There is no greater blessing than this.
1) Ephesians 1:3 2) Ephesians 3:20 3) 2 Peter 1:3 4) Ephesians 1:5 5) Ephesians 3:16 6) Ephesians 3:17-19
Thank you! In the usual hustle and bustle of life we tend to forget that we are blessed just in our salvation without consideration of all other blessings from God. We are weak in falling into the worldly pursuits that just give us temporary gratification. We need these reminders each day.