Ephesians 1:3
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.
Blessed by Forgiveness
Is there any greater blessing than to have our sins covered and forgiven (Rom. 4:7)? If there is, I can’t think of one. What an amazing thing that Jesus did for us, dying while still His archenemy (Rom. 5:10) and a wicked sinner at that (Rom. 5:8). Wouldn’t you call that a blessing? The psalmist declared that the one whose sins are covered and forgiven completely is a blessed man or woman (Psalm 32:1), whose sins will not ever be held against him or her again (Rom. 4:8). The person who has been cleared of all guilt and had his or her sins taken away forever has perhaps the greatest blessing of all.
Blessed by Persecution
Peter describes a special blessing that abides on those who are insulted for the sake of their faith in Christ (1 Pet. 4:14). Jesus pronounces a blessing on those who are persecuted for righteousness (Matt. 5:10), even when others revile us and speak all sorts of evil lies about us on account of Him (Matt. 5:11). If you asked someone on the street whether they thought they were blessed if someone insulted them, lied about them, or persecuted them, they would not likely call that a blessing but a curse. However, the way God sees it is if we are hated for His sake, we are blessed by God. Don’t you want that? Do you celebrate those kinds of blessings or only focus on temporal things in this life that you wish you had?
Blessed by Obedience
We have been blessed by the forgiveness of our sins. We’ve been blessed if we’ve ever been despised or persecuted for our faith, but we’re also blessed by our obedience to God when we not only hear the words of God but do them (Luke 11:28). The man or woman who doesn’t associate or run with the wicked will also be blessed (Psalm 1:1) because we are commanded to not be associated with the wicked (2 Cor. 6:14). Even in the Old Testament, God promised a multitude of blessings if they obeyed Him, and these blessings include our homes, family, and financial standing (Deut. 28:2-4). God has not changed. We can still be blessed by obeying God, by being persecuted for our faith, and by the fact that we have been forgiven. So do you celebrate those kinds of blessings or only focus on temporal things in this life that you wish you had? Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, just think about all you do have, for if you are Christ’s, then you are blessed beyond infinite measure.
A Closing Prayer
Father, You are so good to me, blessing me with the forgiveness of my sins, for the times when I live in obedience to You, and even for those times when I am persecuted for believing in You, and in Jesus’ great name I thank You and pray.
Amen
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