Are you feeling depleted today? Empty? Unworthy? Unseen? Not valued? If this is you, then today’s message is sure to encourage you. God loves to encourage His people. And the best way to be encouraged is by examining what the Bible tells us. I wonder what was going through Paul’s mind when he penned these words to the Ephesian believers. I wonder if all of a sudden he recognized God as the One who showers down gifts upon His people. He writes that God has given EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms simply because we have been united with Christ.
Let’s examine these words. First, the blessings He showers down is for EVERY believer… not just for the pastors, leaders, or those who seem to have a deep friendship with God. This is a gift He gives to all His people. That means you. That means me. Second, these blessings are heavenly blessings, not earthly. Hence, they are not material things, or always good fortune on earth, but these blessings come packaged with love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion.
Third, God doesn’t hold anything back from His people…. He has given to us EVERY spiritual blessing. Imagine that! He gives us ALL of the blessings heaven has to offer. That means we are able… able to understand spiritual truth, able to overcome the most difficult things, and able to navigate this Christian life in a world hostile to the gospel. We have been given strength to stand up when the world wants to push us down, hope in the midst of not-so-good circumstances, and power over the enemy. We have been given the capacity to love the unlovable, forgive the one who has hurt us, and stay pure in an impure world.
You and I are rich, valued, cherished, and worthy. How do we know this? Because God didn’t hold anything back when He poured EVERY spiritual blessing into us. This gives us the ability to walk with our heads held high and not give up. And we the recipients of such extravagance simply because we are His… His children. This alone should give us the encouragement we need today.
Here’s the thing though… many Christians are not experiencing or walking in these amazing blessings. You may feel like you fit into this category. I believe that the more we seek after Jesus, spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer, communicating with Him throughout the day, relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us, and get connected into a community of believers, then these blessings rise to the surface and they begin to take effect in our daily life. When we seek to listen to God’s voice and obey His Word, then we will experience all sorts of heavenly blessings… blessings that will carry us all the way home.