Blessed to be a Christian

God is the one who blesses us with every good thing we enjoy (James 1:17). God’s blessings are not reserved for Christians alone. Jesus said that God sends rain on the just and on the unjust and he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good (Matt. 5:45). This means that even agnostics and atheists benefit from the goodness of the God that they claim is not there. God loves every human being because we are made in his image and his love for us is shown by the goodness he extends to us (Psa. 145:9). While all of humanity is blessed by God there is a special sense in which Christians are blessed. There are general blessings enjoyed by all people in the world, but there are also spiritual blessing that are only reserved for those who are in Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27). It is important that we know the difference between spiritual blessings and general earthly blessings, and we should spend a good amount of time praising and thanking God for the spiritual blessings.

Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians to enlighten Christians on their spiritual status and to encourage them to live up to their spiritual potential. The letter opens by crediting God with blessing his people with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Next, Paul makes a list of the spiritual blessings we have because we belong to Jesus. It might be good for us to keep this list handy and thank God for these things daily or concentrate on one for a week and work our way through it thanking God for the spiritual blessings he has lavished on us in his Son. Physical blessings are good, but spiritual blessings are even better. Notice how blessed we are in Christ:

• All spiritual blessings—even those not mentioned in this chapter (Eph. 1:3)
• Chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)
• Predestined and adopted (Eph. 1:5)
• Redemption and the forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7)
• The riches of his grace in all wisdom and insight (Eph. 1:7-8)
• Knowledge of the mystery of his will (Eph. 1:9-10)
• Obtained an inheritance (Eph. 1:11)
• Sealed with the Holy Spirit as a down payment (Eph. 1:13-14)

We are truly blessed as God’s people. These blessings are things God wants to give to everyone. When you think of how blessed you are never forget the spiritual blessings above all others. Let us praise God for his glorious grace and invite others to share in the same (Eph. 1:6, 1:12)!