Blessed Be God

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 (Ephesians 1:3. ESV).

To bless someone is to speak well of them. The Greek word originally used here is eulogeo, which is a combination of eu (well) and logeo (I speak) So to bless God means to speak well of him. Some translations use the word ‘praise’ here which basically has the same meaning. Continuous and regular praise to God is a practice we should cultivate (Psalm 34:1,2; Luke 19:40; Heb 13:15). It is a vital part of Christian living. 

Notice which God it is we bless. Not all gods are the same. Our God is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has also blessed us. He speaks well of us. It is interesting that in the Bible there is power attributed to spoken blessing, It is not just paying a compliment. It actually makes a difference. This is seen notably in the story of Esau who wept bitterly when he realized he had lost his father’s blessing (Genesis 27:38). 

So when God blesses us it makes a difference. Importantly, note that God has already blessed us. It is past tense. We don’t have to cry out for it, as Esau did. For it is already ours through Christ. Not only has he already blessed us but he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. If this is true, how many blessings are there still to come for us? The reality is that they are all ours already—every one of them! We just need to receive them by faith.

Note that these are also spiritual blessings, not material. Material possessions may or may not be signs of God’s grace. Some of the richest and some of the poorest people in the world may be equally blessed from God’s perspective. At the end of the day, material things all perish, but spiritual blessings are eternal. 

Moreover, these blessings find their origin in ‘heavenly places’. Heaven is not to be thought of geographically as ‘up’. It is simply the place where God dwells—his presence if you like. So when the Bible says that every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies is ours it means everything associated with the presence of God is ours. And remember again that all this, as the text says, is in Christ. When we have Jesus, we have it all!

So what? 

1. Name five spiritual blessings from God that you treasure most in your life. 

2. Why have you chosen these particular ones?  

3. Memorise Ephesians 1:3.