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
Webster defines "Blessed" as, "Of
or enjoying happiness. Specifically enjoying the bliss of Heaven."
It carries the idea of that which "brings pleasure, contentment, or good
fortune." Simply stated, it is that state of being that we all want to
enjoy. We all like blessings don't we?
There isn't a person alive that does not enjoy a blessing! And, certainly, we are a blessed people! But, when it comes to this matter of
blessings, we often view them in the wrong light. Most often, we think of blessings as being
those things that are physical and material in nature. For instance, if everyone in our household is
well, we consider ourselves blessed. If there is money in the bank and the
bills are paid, we say we are blessed. If we are living in a nice home and
driving a good car, we equate that with blessing. And, I would have to agree that those things
are blessings from the Lord.
What we fail to remember is that these kinds of blessings
are temporary at best! That car will die one day. That money will find a place
to be spent. That home will rot and decay. Your health will eventually
decline. What we need to know is that
the real blessings of the Lord are not material or physical. The real blessings
of God are spiritual in nature, and these spiritual blessings will never be
taken away from us! Even when everything
else is gone, has broken down or has been spent, we will still possess the best
of God blessings.
There are three thoughts in the
last part of this verse that teach us the valuable lesson of How
To Recognize God's Best Blessing that I would like to point out to
you.
This verse begins with a note of
praise for the Lord! Paul exalts the Lord for his greatness. He tells us that
our Heavenly Father "hath blessed us". I want you to notice that these words are in
the aorist tense, which is equivalent
to the English past tense. At some
point in the past, God blessed us! Not
only are they past tense, but they are also in the active voice. This means
that those blessings that we received at some point in the past continue this
evening and will continue on into the future.
In other words:
1. I have been blessed
2. I am being blessed
3. I will be blessed!
It may not feel
like it, and all the facts may be stacked against it being true, but it is true
nonetheless! This should bring us great
joy and comfort to know that not only have we been blessed, we are presently
being blessed and there are more blessings to come! God is good and He blesses those He loves and
who love and obey Him. The rest of this
week we will take a look at these truths and how to recognize God’s best
blessings in our lives.
Scripture to Claim:
"For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With
favor You will surround him as with a shield." Psalm 41: 1
