"Blessed" November 11 Readings: Ephesians 1:1-2:10

Today's Reading - Ephesians 1:1-2:10

Background

Ephesians is one of Paul's most important works, written to one of his most important churches. He spent more time in this church than any other, according to Acts and saw God's mighty work there.

The book, like Romans, is an explanation of the power of God in salvation. The first three chapters explain the great salvation that God won for us at the cross through Christ, a salvation that "by grace through faith" and while it is not of works, it produces a life of good works. Chapters 4-6 tell us how to walk worthy of our calling - our salvation.

These six chapters are power-packed with theological and practical truth.

Devotional - Blessed

 I really need a blessing today; how about you? Maybe, if we are good, God will pour out more and more blessings on us today than he did yesterday.

That's the way we think, isn't it? We long for blessings. We seek blessings from Jesus. We struggle to attain blessings from him. We wonder what we have to do to get more of them. But there is a problem with this view - it runs counter to what God's word says in 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.

Did you see that? It says that God HAS (past tense) blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing we can expect. I've got every blessing I will ever need; every one I will ever receive - already.

The key words in this passage appear here and several times throughout this section (verses 3-14) - two word that change everything. "In Christ." In him, we have every blessing God can give us. Why? Because Jesus doesn't give us blessings, he IS the blessing. When God gives us Christ when we are "in him" we have everything we could want, everything we need. 

What are some of those things we have "in Christ?" This passage tells us a few of them. 

• He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (God chose us for his own and determined to make us blameless!)
• In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. (In Christ we are now part of God's heavenly family.) 
• In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. (We are forgiven in Christ.) 
• Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (God has a plan to consummate history in Christ, and we are part of it!)
• In him, we have obtained an inheritance. (In Christ we inherit the riches of God's grace.)
• In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. (The Spirit is ours in Christ.)

So, when I have Christ, I don't really need anything else. He is all the blessing I will ever need. In him, I have all the blessings of eternity. 

Father, thank you for your great blessing, Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord. All I need from you I have in him. 

Think and Pray

Peruse these blessings and take time today to thank God for the salvation he has given you and all the other blessings that are yours in Christ.
Have you received the salvation which is by grace, through faith, and not by works?