The Aspects of Blessing (Eph. 1:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/20/2018 10:11 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Aspects of Blessing

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                          Reference: Eph. 1:3

            Message of the verses:  “3 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,”

            I mentioned in our last SD that we would be looking at a number of main points which have sub-points under them, and so today I want to give the outline of what we will be looking at in Ephesians 1:3, and then we will see how far we get as we move through the sub-points.  “Paul here presents six aspects of the divine blessing he is about to unfold:  the blessed One, God; the Blesser, also God; the blessed ones, believers; the blessings, all things spiritual; the blessing location, the heavenly places; and the blessing Agent, Jesus Christ.”

THE BLESSED ONE—GOD

            We first look at such gracious truth as it is introduced appropriately by giving praise to the One who has made such provision:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  I have spoken of what this word “blessed” means as we look at it in the Greek in an earlier SD.  The Greek word for blessed is “eulogeo” and from that word in the English we get the word “eulogy” “a message of praise and commendation, the declaration of a person’s goodness” writes John MacArthur.  He goes on to write “Because no one is truly good but God (Matt. 19:17), our supreme eulogy, our supreme praise, is for Him alone.” 

            Goodness is one of the attributes of God, and when one studies the attributes of God they will find that God is only good.  God’s attributes have always been His attributes, it is not that because He has provided salvation for those who accept His Son’s provision for salvation that makes Him good, He has always been, and always be good, and I realize that this is difficult for humans to get their arms around, none the less it is true.  I don’t understand how God made the earth and all of the stars that I see, and even those I don’t see, but I believe that He made them just like the Bible says that He made them, that is He made something out of nothing.  I don’t understand this but I believe it.  “"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law (Deut. 29:29).”  I have to say that there are a lot of secret things that belong to the Lord and although I don’t understand them, for they are secret, I take them by faith because things like His attributes are found as being true in the Word of God. 

            There is only One human being who demonstrates the goodness of God and that is His Son, and our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  I have heard many times that “so in so” is a good person, and yet no one possess goodness like God and His Son.  “Consequently from Genesis to Revelation, godly men, recognizing the surpassing and humanly unattainable goodness of God have proclaimed blessing upon Him.  Melchizedek declared, ‘Blessed be God Most High’ (Gen. 14:20).  In the last days, ‘every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them’ will be ‘heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever’’ (Rev. 5:13).” 

            What can we learn and do as believers?  Well we can appropriately bless the Lord for His great goodness.  I am going to write something that is difficult if not possible for believers to do if it were not for the indwelling Holy Spirit and that is that we are to do this in every circumstance whether in pain, struggle, trials, frustration, opposition, or even adversity we are to praise God, and the reason is because His is good in the midst of it all, and for that we praise and bless Him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to say that in order for me to do this I have to truly know God in such a way that I believe that He is in complete control of all that I go through, and whatever I am going through is for my good, and for His glory, and is a part of my sanctification process to make me more like Jesus my Lord and Savior.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord, even when He steps on my toes from studying His Word.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said, ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom’?”

Answer in our next SD.

10/20/2018 10:48 AM