Every Spiritual Blessing
“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, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love.” Ephesians 1:3-4
Commentary Note on“every spiritual blessing” - “Every possible blessing for time and eternity, which the Spirit has to bestow.” (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown)
This is past tense. He HAS blessed us. My first reaction is to ask for every spiritual blessing. I immediately started asking, begging God to receive every spiritual blessing. “God, I want that. Give me every spiritual blessing today!” But He’s already done it. It is finished. Sin was paid for, every possible blessing the Spirit has to give for time and eternity was unleashed, freely given to those who believe.
So then, our job is to believe. To remember it. To remain aware of the eternal blessings we have been given. Then to act like it. To approach every moment, every situation of everyday life like we have the limitless, endless blessings of the Spirit in our hands, in our hearts, in our souls, in our chest by the presence of the Holy Spirit with us.
How would that change the way we pray? How would that change the way we endure hardship? How would that change the way we confronted suffering? How would that change the way we treat the people around us? How would that change the way we approached our work, our ministry?
So instead of “Lord, give me these blessings,” the prayer becomes, “Lord, unleash the blessings you’ve given me into the people around me. Manifest every spiritual blessing through my life.”
Notice not only the shift in confidence and authority, but also the shift in posture from receiving to giving. I don’t need it, I’ve already got it. “But I want to see more of it! I want to experience this ‘every blessing’!” Good! The way to that is not by receiving more for yourself (you’ve already got it all!), but to start giving it away, doing the work of Jesus in the world around you. Settle for nothing less than bringing the full weight of your limitless blessing to bear upon the people and situations you find yourself in and around. Jesus has given you His authority to bind and loose, to exercise power over the enemy and to release the blessings of heaven on God’s children, both lost and found. Do it!
Quit thinking constantly of yourself, you don’t need to. Jesus thinks of you eternally, so think of Him endlessly. As you look at Him, you’ll see the fullness of His blessing already given to you, and you’ll follow His gaze to the sheep around you whom He wants to bless in this same way through you. Get to work.