Seeing is Believing

I had an article ready to post when I felt it was not what God wanted said at this time. I felt Him give me this encouragement article to help people through this trying time. Inside Ephesians 1:3 (NLT), All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Now, as my Pastor would say, this is where the rubber meets the road. How much do we really understand or even know about our spiritual blessings? This is an important question to be asked of my innermost self during quite time with Jesus. The answer at this very moment would have to be not enough. I don’t have a full grasp of what God is saying, because I can’t imagine what great things lie ahead and He has taken care of all my needs here.

My dilemma seems to be recognizing when a blessing takes place and immediately giving thanks for it. I remember some time back God had me out of a job and I spent a season helping out at the soup kitchen, being a blessing to others. Or at least that’s what I thought, until God revealed the real reason I was there. I was there until I recognized and appreciated His blessing of health, mindset and means to help out. Some of God’s greatest blessings for me haven’t been what I wanted or even what I’ve needed to live. They have simply been about me understanding where I could be (with God) verses where I am (with me). Not good!! I went through a study once that was titled who I am in Christ Jesus which lit my candle (so to speak). I discovered a spiritual blessing is so much more than I was taught growing up! Ephesians 1:14 (NLT), The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Again, Paul writes about our promised inheritance for becoming a child of God and even explains that it is guaranteed by the Spirit of God. A great part of this inheritance consist of spiritual wisdom and Godly insight as is touched on in Ephesians 1:17 (NLT), asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. The bottom line or the intent of this verse seems to be evident and clear, we are to know and love God in a strong personal relationship. In as much as humanly possible we are to form a bond of total dependence on God, in Jesus and with His Holy Spirit. As for me, I don’t understand everything there is about Jesus but I do know that the Creator of all, who could choose anyone to love, “chose me” and that is enough for me to rejoice and give praise! This is backed up in Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT), 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Life with God is all about our acceptance and belief in Jesus. We become children of God, our family becomes the household of God and our journey with Jesus will lead us to understanding agape love, perfect peace, and the ways of God. Though the path may be narrow and slippery, Jesus is holding your hand, guiding our way. My prayer this week is found in Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT), 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

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