DEVOTION, Jan. 19, 2021

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).  Please notice and always remember what Paul has just said.  Those in Christ are blessed and showered with good things, but these blessings are primarily spiritual.  We are blessed in the heavenly realm with spiritual gifts.

Paul asks us to look beyond this material world, to lift our eyes towards heaven, and receive the spiritual blessings God desires to give His people.  I want to make three statements about spiritual blessings. One today, with more to follow.

First, spiritual blessings are communicated to our inner man by the Holy Spirit.  Spiritual blessings primarily affect the human spirit.  It is our human spirit or soul which controls our life. You can always tell when you are not focused on spiritual blessings.  If you find yourself overwhelmed with worry concerning the Coronavirus; if you find yourself thinking obsessively about all that is wrong in your life; if you are feeling defeated by life; you may need to focus more on spiritual blessings and less on your temporal life with all its problems.

Paul says we have all the spiritual blessings we need in Christ.  We need to keep them in mind, constantly reminding ourselves of what we possess in Christ, and as we do, we shall be victorious over the circumstances of life. What are spiritual blessings? The list is long. We will look at some specifics tomorrow.  

Father, I thank You for the many spiritual blessings you have brought to my inner life. Help me to focus more on these blessings and less on external problems. Like everyone else, my life is a mixture of earthly problems and spiritual blessings. I pray that the good things You do for me will take priority over my problems. In Jesus name, Amen.