“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...” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV)
The scripture above, chosen for the meditation today, is special. Do you see the word that is repeated three times? This scripture notes that God deserves to be “blessed”. God has also “blessed us in Christ”. What has God given? God has given us “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. Three times in this verse, blessings are attached to God. Blessings are ascribed to God! The blessings in your life come from God!
God is so associated with blessings in life that the high priest asked Jesus if he was “the Son of the Blessed” (Mark 14:61). Throughout the Bible, God is called Blessed. God’s gifts are called blessings. The Greek word for “blessed” that is used in both Mark 14:61 and Ephesians 1:3 means “praiseworthy”. Not only is God praiseworthy, but God also blesses, or makes praiseworthy, your life. Whatever God touches in your life is a blessing. Your response to blessings should always be praise!
I find it interesting that God does not often get praised by people for giving blessings. Even people of faith can fail to offer praise to God.
Charles Morgan had two job offers at the same time. His boss gave him a chance to move up in the company. Included in that offer was a bonus and extra vacation time. When Charles was given this offer of a promotion, another company had been trying for months to recruit Charles to be the head of their sales department. They offered to match any salary or perks Charles was given and add ten percent on top. Charles was thrilled at the prospects.
Just when Charles was going to accept the job offer from the other company, the COVID epidemic hit. Businesses were told to close for two weeks or more. The company that tried to lure Charles away rescinded their offer. Charles was very upset.
For weeks, Charles’ prayers included grief for the epidemic, anger at God for the timing of the epidemic, and a desire for God to help him get that job at the other company. Charles anxiously waited, hoping and praying for the offer from the other company to be put back on the table.
Six months later, the other company ceased contacting Charles. Seeing this as an end to his chances for a big increase in pay and a better work environment, Charles became depressed. His spiritual life tanked. His prayers became more and more rare. Deep down, Charles was angry at God for his losses.
Today, Charles has a very different view of things. The company that tried to lure him away went bankrupt. If Charles had taken that job, he would have been forced to look for another job and go on unemployment. The family finances would have been a mess. Life would have taken a terrible turn. Charles even wonders if he would have found a job for one to two years in that terrible work environment as the COVID epidemic shook his industry.
In retrospect, Charles had been handed a great blessing by God. His finances remained stable during that economic downturn. His family was spared a loss of income, possible loss of insurance, and serious turmoil. Today, Charles is much more grateful for God’s blessings. He has learned not to take for granted some of the things in his life, including his job and his family. Charles has only one regret: that he pulled away from God at the very time God was doing him a great favor!
We often don’t see God’s blessings for what they are. As human beings, our understanding is limited. We have also come to associate blessings with material possessions. This, too, has limited our view of real blessings. Sometimes, the greatest blessings from God come not from material possessions but from spiritual growth. Under the right circumstances, we can be blessed more when we lose something than when we gain it.
In an article in a publication of the MSC Health Action News, Dr. Dale Turner gave insight to how humans view blessings. He wrote:
“In all fairness, if we ask the ‘Why me?’ question in regard to our burdens, we should also ask it in regard to our blessings.
“We take for granted 100 days of perfect health, and then grumble about one day of aches and pains.
“We drive the freeway hundreds of times without incident, and then ask, ‘Why me?’ the one time we have a flat tire or engine trouble.
“We casually accept the fact when our family is together for the holidays, but when we are separated, we dwell on our loneliness.
“How often do we say, ‘Why me?’ as we count our blessings?
“Rather than feeling sad about what we don’t have, doesn’t it make more sense to feel a kind of rollicking rejoicing over everything we do have?” (p. 1, Vol. XVII, No. 11, Nov./Dec., 1997)
God is not only “blessed”, God blesses you every day. God gives you so much. Can you give HIM some praise in return? Do not take for granted all the blessings in your life. And don’t forget that some of the negatives in your life may be blessings, too! Since God is the biggest source of blessings in the world, why not work diligently today to give thanks for the little and big blessings that surround you? You have a chance to pray, why not make it a prayer of praise for the blessings God has brought to you?
God is so associated with blessings in life that the high priest asked Jesus if he was “the Son of the Blessed” (Mark 14:61). Throughout the Bible, God is called Blessed. God’s gifts are called blessings. The Greek word for “blessed” that is used in both Mark 14:61 and Ephesians 1:3 means “praiseworthy”. Not only is God praiseworthy, but God also blesses, or makes praiseworthy, your life. Whatever God touches in your life is a blessing. Your response to blessings should always be praise!
I find it interesting that God does not often get praised by people for giving blessings. Even people of faith can fail to offer praise to God.
Charles Morgan had two job offers at the same time. His boss gave him a chance to move up in the company. Included in that offer was a bonus and extra vacation time. When Charles was given this offer of a promotion, another company had been trying for months to recruit Charles to be the head of their sales department. They offered to match any salary or perks Charles was given and add ten percent on top. Charles was thrilled at the prospects.
Just when Charles was going to accept the job offer from the other company, the COVID epidemic hit. Businesses were told to close for two weeks or more. The company that tried to lure Charles away rescinded their offer. Charles was very upset.
For weeks, Charles’ prayers included grief for the epidemic, anger at God for the timing of the epidemic, and a desire for God to help him get that job at the other company. Charles anxiously waited, hoping and praying for the offer from the other company to be put back on the table.
Six months later, the other company ceased contacting Charles. Seeing this as an end to his chances for a big increase in pay and a better work environment, Charles became depressed. His spiritual life tanked. His prayers became more and more rare. Deep down, Charles was angry at God for his losses.
Today, Charles has a very different view of things. The company that tried to lure him away went bankrupt. If Charles had taken that job, he would have been forced to look for another job and go on unemployment. The family finances would have been a mess. Life would have taken a terrible turn. Charles even wonders if he would have found a job for one to two years in that terrible work environment as the COVID epidemic shook his industry.
In retrospect, Charles had been handed a great blessing by God. His finances remained stable during that economic downturn. His family was spared a loss of income, possible loss of insurance, and serious turmoil. Today, Charles is much more grateful for God’s blessings. He has learned not to take for granted some of the things in his life, including his job and his family. Charles has only one regret: that he pulled away from God at the very time God was doing him a great favor!
We often don’t see God’s blessings for what they are. As human beings, our understanding is limited. We have also come to associate blessings with material possessions. This, too, has limited our view of real blessings. Sometimes, the greatest blessings from God come not from material possessions but from spiritual growth. Under the right circumstances, we can be blessed more when we lose something than when we gain it.
In an article in a publication of the MSC Health Action News, Dr. Dale Turner gave insight to how humans view blessings. He wrote:
“In all fairness, if we ask the ‘Why me?’ question in regard to our burdens, we should also ask it in regard to our blessings.
“We take for granted 100 days of perfect health, and then grumble about one day of aches and pains.
“We drive the freeway hundreds of times without incident, and then ask, ‘Why me?’ the one time we have a flat tire or engine trouble.
“We casually accept the fact when our family is together for the holidays, but when we are separated, we dwell on our loneliness.
“How often do we say, ‘Why me?’ as we count our blessings?
“Rather than feeling sad about what we don’t have, doesn’t it make more sense to feel a kind of rollicking rejoicing over everything we do have?” (p. 1, Vol. XVII, No. 11, Nov./Dec., 1997)
God is not only “blessed”, God blesses you every day. God gives you so much. Can you give HIM some praise in return? Do not take for granted all the blessings in your life. And don’t forget that some of the negatives in your life may be blessings, too! Since God is the biggest source of blessings in the world, why not work diligently today to give thanks for the little and big blessings that surround you? You have a chance to pray, why not make it a prayer of praise for the blessings God has brought to you?