Blessed Beyond Measure
"Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ." — Ephesians 1:3
When you think about being blessed, what comes to mind? Many of us might envision receiving something unexpected or wonderful, something that makes us feel special or lucky. But what if we misunderstand what it truly means to be blessed by God? Often, our assumptions about blessings and our relationship with God can be quite skewed.
You see, the problem is that many of us carry a flawed mindset into our relationship with the Lord. We assume (1) that God doesn’t want to bless us, and (2) if God does bless us, we feel like we have to pay Him back in some way.
This mindset isn't new. It was prevalent in the city of Ephesus when Paul wrote his letter. Ephesus was a bustling city of 250,000-300,000 people, steeped in a culture of false gods and idol worship. The people performed rituals and ceremonies to gain favor from these gods, hoping to be blessed.
Today, we might look back and consider such practices foolish, yet many of us engage in similar behavior, albeit more subtly. We think, “If I’m a good person, God will bless me,” or, “If I do what God tells me, maybe He will love me more or bless me more,” or even, “If I give a little to God, maybe He will give a lot to me!” We live with a “If I do this… He’ll do that” mindset.
However, God’s Word teaches us that’s not how God operates. He’s not a pagan god who needs to be appeased. Anything that was owed to God was already paid through the blood of Jesus on the cross. Jesus paid it all!
Yes, God blesses us, but not because of what we do. He blesses us because of who He is. He blesses us because we’re His children. He blesses us because He’s a good Father. He blesses us because He wants to!
When you think about being blessed, what comes to mind? Many of us might envision receiving something unexpected or wonderful, something that makes us feel special or lucky. But what if we misunderstand what it truly means to be blessed by God? Often, our assumptions about blessings and our relationship with God can be quite skewed.
You see, the problem is that many of us carry a flawed mindset into our relationship with the Lord. We assume (1) that God doesn’t want to bless us, and (2) if God does bless us, we feel like we have to pay Him back in some way.
This mindset isn't new. It was prevalent in the city of Ephesus when Paul wrote his letter. Ephesus was a bustling city of 250,000-300,000 people, steeped in a culture of false gods and idol worship. The people performed rituals and ceremonies to gain favor from these gods, hoping to be blessed.
Today, we might look back and consider such practices foolish, yet many of us engage in similar behavior, albeit more subtly. We think, “If I’m a good person, God will bless me,” or, “If I do what God tells me, maybe He will love me more or bless me more,” or even, “If I give a little to God, maybe He will give a lot to me!” We live with a “If I do this… He’ll do that” mindset.
However, God’s Word teaches us that’s not how God operates. He’s not a pagan god who needs to be appeased. Anything that was owed to God was already paid through the blood of Jesus on the cross. Jesus paid it all!
Yes, God blesses us, but not because of what we do. He blesses us because of who He is. He blesses us because we’re His children. He blesses us because He’s a good Father. He blesses us because He wants to!
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