Midweek Message from the Archive
A few years ago I was asked to give the blessing at a wedding. I was honored because speaking a blessing is simply declaring good things over people you care about. When Paul was writing to the believers in the city of Ephesus he began by declaring a blessing to God and his readers (Eph. 1:3). It seems to me that this powerful paragraph (vs. 3-14) is a result of Paul’s overwhelming revelation of God’s promises, blessings, or heritage given to His followers. He was undoubtedly writing or dictating so fast that the words came pouring out of him.
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
Every day we experience life in various ways here on earth: positive and negative. We need to remember, as Paul was reminding himself, that there are benefits to being a believer (Ps. 103:3) given to help us live out those experiences in victory. Those blessings are delivered from heaven by the Spirit of God at just the right time with everything you require to live a triumphant life. As citizens of heaven we have legal standing to draw from that inheritance but what does that really mean? It means that when we need justice or mercy in an earthly matter we can declare that blessing from the heavenly realm and bring it to the earth: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done … you finish it. This isn’t the prosperity gospel; this is the truth of God’s Word. The eternal blessings that reside in the sphere of heaven can be realized in the sphere of our temporary, earthly lives when we remain in Christ.
As a believer in Christ Jesus we have a position of authority on this earth. Paul talks about it in Eph. 6:12 when he tells us to be strong and stand in the Lord’s might against the spiritual forces of evil ‘in the heavenly places’. He uses that same phrase five times in Ephesians. It’s as if we travel back and forth experiencing that overlapping of heaven and earth. Again, remember that phrase that Jesus spoke as He taught His disciples to pray: thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven? This may seem deep to you but when you get it, you’ll stand a little taller and walk a little stronger knowing what rightfully belongs to you who are in Christ.
This week I encourage you to walk in a manner worthy of who you are and begin to take full advantage of what is available to you. If you are bitter against someone, pull down forgiveness. If you are frustrated, pull down encouragement. If you need God’s mercy, it’s there for you, simply ask. Christ has provided all that you need to live in righteousness and holiness; take advantage of your inheritance, it’s a foretaste of heaven on earth.
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