Select Page

This past Sunday, Pastor Steve started a new teaching series on the book of Ephesians. What a rich & wonderful book to learn more from. Each week, he will take a new chapter & a few verses from that chapter, to expound upon. How he is able to select just a few is beyond me. In reading chapter 1 over again, the last two nights, I am amazed at how much is said in this one chapter.

“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.”  (Ephesians 1:3 NIV).

He has blessed us.

Do you see that?

I found out some interesting things about blessing:

  • it is the act of declaring or wishing, favor & goodness upon others
  • it is not only the good effect of words; it also has the power to bring them to pass
  • in biblical times, important persons blessed those with less power or influence

(from Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, page 220).

Let’s bring that definition into this verse…God has declared or spoken words of blessing over those of us that are His. Those words of blessing, He has the power to bring to pass in our lives. He bestows that upon us as He is sovereign & we are not.

Think about this for a second. All that He created in the beginning came about from His spoken word. He spoke, it was & we now see it, feel it, taste it, enjoy it. He does the same with our lives. In the heavenly realms, He is speaking out words over our lives. They are not empty words or promises. He has the power to bring those things to be!

Now we may be thinking….”I do not see any blessing happening in my life.”

Here’s the rest….

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”  (Ephesians 1:11 NIV).

Do you see it there?

He is working it out to conform with His purposes, with His will. Not ours. He is the one doing the work. Not us. The verb tense there indicates that He is working it out – presently, actively, constantly, always.

Go back & read Ephesians 1 for yourself. It is full of promise & hope & inheritance. And it is ours.

Pastor Steve, thank you for the start of what is going to be an exciting series! Or to say it another way:

                                                  “AMEN & AMEN!!!” :))

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Â