I’m writing this devotion at a time when, due to Covid19, I am seeing, along with many others, an ongoing reduction in material blessing across the world.

Eph. 1:3-4

3 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. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

It’s happening to everyone – people are losing their jobs and the markets are crashing. I think that it is in times like these when God speaks to us in ways we might not hear when our lives are buoyed by material blessings.  These verses in Ephesians help us to focus our minds and hearts in a particular way and in a particular direction.

We are to give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to praise him for who he is and for what he had done through Jesus to make us and many others part of his special family. Not only that – but he has blessed us with spiritual blessings – in fact every spiritual blessing in Jesus. We have been chosen by him to be lavished with his love and blessings even before the world was created. Now that little phrase – ‘for he chose us in him before the creation of the world’- can boggle the mind and get some people tied up in knots over thoughts about God’s sovereignty and our human responsibility. For now, let it impact our hearts to bring about yet more praise that God has secured us as part of his plan to make a people for himself and it goes way back!! We can rest in that assurance.

We are holy and blameless in his sight because when he looks at us, he sees Jesus – his blameless son.

Conclusion: As we compare our earthly or material blessings with the heavenly blessings we have in Christ we will do well to conclude that the blessing of a new heart are far better than a new set of clothes; that to feed on Christ is far better than the food served up at the best restaurant; that having God for our portion is better than any block of land we might own.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father we come before you aware of our emptiness and our inability to please you through our own strength. We thank you for the spiritual blessings you have given us in Jesus. So often these blessings go unappreciated in our hearts. Help us to treasure them above all else as we learn to treasure your son in that way. As we do this may our praise overflow and spill over into all our lives and may it transform us into people who spread the blessing of your love to those about us. Amen.

A song to listen to: Better By Far

Tim Hewlett