Every Spiritual Blessing

Vol 3 No 28 THEO'S DEVOS

Eph 1:3-4 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.

Our verses today are hard to grasp. I have seen Christians who earnestly seek the blessings of God. Some refer to a special grant called the Second Blessing. I must confess that I have been saddened to see the church divided over this kind of thought but I fully understand the desire to have something special from God. The problem is that, according to Paul, we already have everything coming to us. He tells us that we have been blessed with 'every spiritual blessing.' How can that be? I have needs just as you do. Things don't always go the way I want them to and I have prayed to God for things and God has said 'No' or 'Wait' many times.

I can't take a long time to delve into the mystery of this verse here but I do know what it says and have to try and understand. What it comes down to is not that we need another blessing but that we need to know how to access those blessing already given to us. How is that done? Firstly we must acknowledge that God is not holding out on us as many Christians seem to feel. We must believe that God loves us and will always do what is best for us as it fits into His plan. Next we must ask God for understanding concerning our present condition. Good or bad, as we see it, we are where God wants us to be. After we have bowed to the sovereignty of God we can begin to rest in our state and seek that inner confidence that God will pour out on us.

This falls back on the devotional on answered prayer. We can know that God sees us and loves us. But we must also know that His plan, ultimately, is more important than our temporary pleasure. I have often said that 30 seconds after we die and enter heaven,all this life will seem like a split second and none of the suffering that we have had to endure will matter. God will have eternity to help you understand what was happening in this life and how your part was crucial to His effort.

No Christian suffers in vain unless they refuse to acknowledge God's will and do not give Him the glory for whatever happens. This is a lot harder to do than to say, I fully understand but according to Paul those blessing in the heavenly realms are there for the taking. We just need to reach out in faith and they can be ours. God is not holding out on you. There are no first and second class Christians. There are only those who exercise faith and those who do not. Please, today, ask God to help you be a person of faith. It is what He has been looking for all along.

Here is an extra blessing given to us by one of our readers. Thanks Debbie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtrnB4FZ-yc

Theo



Dear Small Group Leader (or soon to be Facilitator)

Please allow everyone in your group to answer the Quick Question. It will get things started on the right foot, encouraging quieter ones to open up. Please do not require everyone to answer every question. They may not be ready to share yet. Also please allow at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your study so as many as would like to can respond to the REFLECTION question. This may be the most important time in your small group study. Thank You


SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY


Please Read: Ephesians 1:1-14

QUICK QUESTION: Share some blessing with the others in your group.

1.In what ways has God blessed us?

2.What is the meaning of 'redemption'?

3.What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

4.What are 'spiritual blessings'?

5.Why did God give us these blessings?


REFLECTION: How can others around you benefit from your blessings?