03/04/2018
Where do your blessings come from? Are you busy trying to earn them? Is your goal in doing God’s will to be blessed, or is your blessing simply that of being in His will? Where does our spiritual blessing truly come from, and how do you come by it? Do we really know what blessed means? Let’s look at the role of Christ in our blessings, and then ask again how we earn being blessed.
“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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”Ephesians 1:3-4 ESV
We learn from this scripture that every spiritual blessing comes by our being in Jesus Christ, and we do so by having faith in Him, obeying Him, and loving Him. When we do this then we also have these things in the Father through Christ.
“"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”John 14:1 ESV
So what does it mean to be blessed? Here is a surprise... biblically speaking it does not mean good fortune! In the Bible the word blessed in the Greek comes from the word makarios which means to be in a position to receive the favor of God, or to be made holy. In Hebrew there are two words used, Barak (bless or blessed) which means to give as an inheritance, and the word Barakah (blessing) which means to receive an inheritance or gift.
So biblically speaking, just because we receive some good thing, or experience some good happening in our lives we should not consider ourselves as being blessed, any more than simply receiving or experiencing bad should mean we are cursed. When the scripture says “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” this means we receive these things as an inheritance. This falls right in lines with another scripture we love to quote..
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”Romans 8:16-17 ESV
Now let’s look again at the original questions I posed...
“Where do our blessings come from?” Well, they come from being in Jesus, or in other words dwelling in Him. In this way we receive an inheritance along with Him.
“Are you busy trying to earn them?” This is a question of motivation and is further defined by the combination of the following questions...
“Is your goal in doing God’s will to be blessed, or is your blessing simply that of being in His will?” With introspection we each need to answer these questions for ourselves. Is our primary goal the inheritance, or would we serve God and seek His Will even if we thought we would receive nothing? Is being in Jesus enough?
I am certain you have witnessed this first hand in your life, but I work in the healthcare industry, and I see this in a personal and obvious light. There are those that see healthcare as simply a job, while others view it as a calling; some would suffer to do what they do every day, while others would seek employment elsewhere at the moment paychecks were cut. It is easy to tell the difference when you walk into a doctor’s office or a hospital. This is true of faith as well. There are those that are seeking God for the reward, and others that would suffer just to be in His presence... there is Judas, and then there is Peter.
The final questions are a repetition of those already asked... “Where does our spiritual blessing truly come from, and how do you come by it?” The point here is to emphasize the importance of these questions as they relate to our faith. Our inheritance comes from God and we can only gain it through Jesus Christ. We can only receive our blessing by being in Christ, and there is nothing we can do outside of grace, outside of Jesus, that would earn us blessing or inheritance.
“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.John 15:3-4 ESV
How did you originally answer the questions? Have your answers changed?
“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."'”Luke 15:18-19 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the blessings that I receive through your Son Jesus Christ. Your inheritance is upon Him Father, and as I abide in Him and He in me, I share in that blessing. Help me Holy Father to love you above all things, above all gain, and above even the desire for your blessing. Help me to understand that just being in your presence is my reward, and if that means that I become as a hired servant, it would be enough. Great is your grace and mercy Father, that you have sent your Only Begotten Son to die that I might live, and for His charitable love that invites me to abide in Him, and to share in your inheritance... your blessing. I praise your name Merciful Father, and I lift you up before all men, for you are my God, a Great God above all things, and the least in your house is higher than the most exalted in the world. Holy, Holy, Holy, art thou my God, and greatly to be praised forever.
Rich Forbes