In Christ: Know It, Live It - 8 (What Kind of Blessing Have You Been Blessed With?)

"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." Ephesians 1:3

Have you ever thought about it...WHAT is a SPIRITUAL blessing? Consider:

• Spiritual blessings come to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Father PLANNED our salvation, the Son ACCOMPLISHED our salvation, the Spirit APPLIES our salvation. That is, it is God the Holy Spirit who actually brings into our lives all that Jesus accomplished on our behalf. Without the indwelling Holy Spirit, the perfect life, sufficient death, and victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus would not reach us to save us and sanctify us. For instance: God saved us, "...through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" Titus 3:5. Consider also: "...but if by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" Romans 8:13. Or, "...we...are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" 2 Corinthians 3:18. All the blessings of God purchased for us in Christ come to us through the Holy Spirit. Surely one thing this means is that we should seek not to grieve the Holy Spirit by pride and self-reliance and unbelief or loose use of our tongues (see Ephesians 4:29,30). We should instead depend moment by moment on the Spirit for wisdom and strength and love, joy, peace, patience, etc. We should "keep in step with the Spirit" Galatians 5:16. ONE MORE THOUGHT HERE: because these blessings come to us via the Spirit, they cannot fail to get to us or to get to us AS WE NEED them. Why? He is omniscient, omnipotent God!
• Consider also that SPIRITUAL blessings are not primarily MATERIAL. We are not Old Testament Israel, for whom the covenant with God included promises of healthy babies and plentiful food and much livestock and victory over physical enemies (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Do you expect that knowing God and being in Christ means things like a large salary, a roomy house, healthy children, and a large 401k? This is NOT to say that God cannot and does not bless us with STEWARDSHIP over these kinds of things...surely He does. But the point is they are not the PRIMARY FOCUS of His blessings. Rather, He blesses us first and foremost with THE KINGDOM...and at the center of the KINGDOM is the KING! God has given us Himself. He has saved us to KNOW Him (John 17:3; Ephesians 1:17). What a horrifying thought that I could spend my life seeking food and clothing and security in savings when God has given me Himself. It is something on an infinitesimally small scale like the child who sets aside the expensive present on Christmas Day to play with the box and wrapping paper. Jesus made it plain that our pursuit in life should be the Kingdom, and that IN seeking the Kingdom (and the King) all else that we need would be provided (Matthew 6:33). Besides, too much material stuff rarely does anyone good. We are so idol-prone that our hearts tend to forge a little extra money or stuff into a golden calf.

Let's PRAISE God for spiritual blessings (we'll be looking at those that are cataloged in Ephesians 1) that are unfailingly brought to us through the Holy Spirit. Let's depend on Him to supply all that Christ has purchased for us, as we need it, and as we seek the KING.