Who am I this week?
BLESSED! BY MY HEAVENLY FATHER!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ… ~ Ephesians 1:3
“I am blessed because I got a premium parking spot at Walmart. I am blessed because I have a good job. I am blessed because I paid all the bills this month.”
I have made many such statements. These kinds of statements seem harmless. But what do you say when, instead, you are rear-ended in the Walmart parking lot? Or you just lost your job? Or you are behind on your bills? Are you no longer blessed? Has God removed His favor? I am sorry to say that I have often judged myself on this premise. I have even judged others.
When life is going well or we get the results we desire, it’s easy to exhale a satisfying breath and proclaim, “I am blessed”. Though I do not intend to diminish God’s divine hand manifest to us in the “small” things of life (because of His love and faithfulness), this is more about being grateful than blessed.
The BLESSINGS of God are SPIRITUAL! Father’s blessings come from divine and heavenly places and empower us to be the expression of Jesus in this world.
While His spiritual blessings do shine in our earthly habitation, physical prosperity, possessions, and “things going according to plan” these are not the substance or evidence of God’s blessing. The BLESSINGS of God are equally distributed upon each person who is in Jesus.
Strolling through the rose garden or trudging through the muck, you are as BLESSED as you will ever be!
Look how Peter described blessing.
“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” ~ 1 Peter 4:14
Before this statement, Peter talks about fiery trials and suffering. And yet, EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING is present. And what about the blessing of the Spirit of glory and God resting on you? As for me, I’ll take it!
And what about Paul? He knew how to be both hungry and full – and he was content. He was content because he understood WHO he was in Jesus. Like Paul, we must recognize that being BLESSED is a state of being in Jesus. It is a pronouncement of God over you regardless of what you have or don’t have.
Heavenly Father has BLESSED you. PERIOD. If I could type a huge period here, I would. Believe it, accept it, and walk in it. You did not earn the blessing and you do not control it. It cannot be created, diminished, or destroyed. He blessed you because you are His. Period.
He has withheld nothing. He has blessed you with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. From the eternal domain of God, every divine and supernatural blessing is upon you!
Wherever you find yourself today – strolling through the rose garden or trudging through the muck, you are as BLESSED as you will ever be! Not because of where you find yourself or how you got there, but because of WHO you are in Jesus.
Your Heavenly Father pronounces a fine discourse over you! He celebrates you with songs!
Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
This reality brings me to my knees and the tears flow. How can the holy God of the universe bestow His favor upon me in this lavish way? Why would He bless ME with every spiritual blessing? I don’t deserve it.
And isn’t that the beauty of it? I can’t earn it. I can’t take credit for it. And I certainly can’t dispose of it. The beauty of the Father’s blessing is that it exists for us in Jesus Christ! Because of Jesus’ work, we ARE to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:12). His blessing is mine by the fact that I’m in Jesus and He’s in me by His Spirit! This union with Jesus is loved and celebrated by the Father!
To be BLESSED by God means that you have also been consecrated to Him. You are anointed, dedicated, and ordained. He has declared you wholly His and set you apart to fulfill His purposes.
Our lifestyle choices, good, bad, or indifferent have ramifications. Our choices are significant with eternal outcomes. Yet, in our mistakes, shortcomings, and even rebellion, the curse of the law and sin have been taken away in Jesus, so that we, as His children, are the subjects of His BLESSINGS. While we may experience the sorrow and bitter fruit of compromise or betrayal – we are blessed (maybe even spoiled) by Father! And this blessing is in no way diminished by our failures or the failures of others.
BLESSED! – because of WHO you are in Jesus! In Jesus, WE possess EVERY spiritual blessing from God’s supernatural realm. Align your thinking with this truth. Agree with God and yield to His blessing, absorbing all of it. Let your identity as a BLESSED child of God transform your thinking and guide your choices so that this reality exudes the presence and power of Jesus in every moment of every day in your home, community, workplace, and relationships.
Do you want to know what your spiritual blessings are? Stay tuned over the next few weeks as your identity and blessings are revealed.
FEATURED INSPIRATIONAL PHOTO
“Praise” Pacific Wren Singing
I met this tiny Pacific Wren while on a walk. Unless I had been captured by the melodious singing of this musical bird, he would have gone unnoticed. Drab in color and blending in with the undergrowth of the forest, he would seem an insignificant life in the vast forest. Yet, his vibrant cheerful singing brought a song to the forest that was perfectly unique to him and brought beauty, hope, and warmth to the forest atmosphere. I am reminded that however small and insignificant I feel, praise matters. It changes the atmosphere around me. And it is relational. God sings over me and I am to the praise of His glory.
I have always struggled with the concept of “being blessed” in the sense that if I have more material goods or a better opportunity than someone else I am “more blessed”. This really helps clear up the concept and reaffirms that God loves His children equally if not in always the same ways.