I was reading Ephesians chapter 1 in my devotions the other day. I wanted to share it with you today because it was such a life-giving passage for me. Paul begins his epistle to the Ephesus church by declaring, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 1:3, NKJV). The expressions “As I read it, the phrase “every spiritual blessing” leapt off the page at me.
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The Greek word eulogia, which meaning “benefit,” is the word for “blessing.” Paul wasn't only talking about lovely concepts when he mentioned spiritual blessings. When he lived in and through them, they were realities that came with actual rewards. In the end, we live in and through them as we do in Christ, but it's helpful to unpack what that entails. In verses 4-19, Paul goes on to discuss 15 different spiritual blessings that we receive when we live in Christ. I invite you to read the entire scripture passage in its entirety. Let's have a look at the 15 Spiritual Blessings that Paul bestows on you…
1. Selected Prior to the Creation of the World (v.4)
Knowing that you were chosen before the earth was created means that your life counts. Your existence isn't a result of natural selection or an accident. Before He ever said, “I'm thinking about your future,” God was already thinking about it “Let the light shine.”
2. Blameless and Holy (v.4)
You are holy and blameless in Christ. This indicates that, despite your flaws, you are qualified to serve and worship Him. When you approach God, He delights you and cheerfully moves through your life to impact others, not because of your own righteousness, but because of Christ's righteousness that has been imputed or attributed to you.
3. He Loves You (v.4)
You are standing in agape, or unconditional love, in Christ. It's not something you can earn. In Christ, you are loved unconditionally today. Have you gotten it yet? Today, make the following confession: “Jesus, I accept your unfailing love.”
4. Adoption is predestined (v.5)
In Christ, God has predetermined to call you His own. You have been chosen to be His son or daughter. You are a member of His household. He is your biological father. When parents decide to adopt a child, they often go through a selection process to choose who they will adopt and who they will not. God decided to adopt you as one of His offspring a long time ago after going through His decision-making process.
5. Belonging to the Beloved (v.6)
You have not been turned down. You are not a misfit. You are not undeserving of praise. In Christ, the Creator of the Universe accepts you. In Christ, you have been reconciled in your relationship with God and are agreeable to Him. You may not be in good health in all of your relationships right now, but there is nothing standing between you and God today if you are in Christ.
6. His Blood as a Means of Redemption (v.7)
You were a slave to sin and eternal death before Christ. You couldn't get out of it by buying or working your way out of it. The precious blood of Jesus paid the price for your freedom. Jesus was not enslaved in any way. Jesus had already been set free. In either case, Jesus paid for your freedom.
7. Sins Forgiveness (v.7)
You have morally turned your back on God in your life. In your heart, you have willfully rebelled against His law. You have often disregarded His wisdom, believing yourself to be the wiser. You are pardoned today in Christ.
8. The Gifts of His Grace Abundantly Abundantly Abundantly Abundantly Abundantly Abund (v.7-8)
Grace entails “An undeserved favor.” The term “abound” refers to a situation in “to possess in large quantities.” In Christ, an abundance of undeserved favor is flowing into your life like a river that will last from here to eternity's deepest depths.
9. He has revealed the mystery of His will to you (v.9)
God has revealed His answer to us in a fallen world of conflict, misery, and disease; a sinful world where horrible things happen to good people. In Christ, He encapsulated every answer to every aspect of the human situation and delivered it to us.
Obtaining an Eternal Inheritance is number ten (v.11)
Heaven is described in Revelation 21:4 as follows: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, sorrow, or crying. There will be no more suffering because the old things have passed away.
11. Heard the Holy Spirit's Word (v.13)
God's truth shines brightly in the dark. We don't have to go it alone. We aren't in the dark about anything. We've heard His wonderful news and figured out how to live.
12. Promise-sealed by the Holy Spirit (v.13)
The Holy Spirit's Promise, which was promised by Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Joel, John the Baptist, and Jesus, has been fulfilled in Christ today!
13. You're aware of His Calling's Optimism (v.18)
His call on your life is the basket into which you can place all of your eggs. It's a mooring. It's made of stone. It will never be for naught.
14. You are His Inheritance's Riches (v.18)
Jesus sees you as extremely valuable. God gives you back to Jesus as His heritage, just as Christ brought you back to God. In Christ, you are valued; in Christ, you are the righteousness of God. You are His everlasting recompense, which He treasures.
15. His Power's Unparalleled Magnificence (v.19-20)
According to Paul, the exceeding grandeur of His power is directed toward those who believe. What kind of clout does this have? It's the same force that brought Christ back to life! The same power that overcame sin, death, and hell is at work here. This same power is available to you now in Christ!
Where are all spiritual blessings?
Every human who lives on this planet, according to the Bible, is a receiver of God's bodily blessings. “For He raises His sun on the evil and on the good, and showers rain on the just and on the unjust,” Jesus stated (Matthew 5:45b). We should be grateful that God has provided us with everything we require for physical survival through His material creation and natural law. God's blessings, however, are not restricted to the physical realm. God want to shower immense spiritual blessings on those who are willing to accept them.
The food that maintains our physical bodies is one of God's tangible favors. Consider the case of someone who has an abundance of food but refuses to consume it. Refusing to accept God's blessing of food for an extended period of time will result in famine and death. To get the physical gift of eating, one must first choose to eat and then act on that decision.
In the same way, receiving God's spiritual rewards is conditional. God makes His spiritual blessings available to everyone (Titus 2:11), yet just as someone who refuses to consume food will refuse to receive God's spiritual blessings, so too can someone refuse to receive God's spiritual blessings. All spiritual blessings are only available “in Christ,” according to the Bible (Ephesians 1:3). Consider “in Christ” to be a spiritual location. To receive God's spiritual blessings, one must be spiritually located in Christ. “In Christ Jesus” is where salvation is found (2 Timothy 2:10). Before receiving all spiritual rewards, one must first choose to follow Christ and then act on that decision. How does one become a Christian? A penitent believer who declares faith in Jesus as the Son of God can alter their spiritual location by being baptized, according to the Bible. “For everyone who was baptized into Christ has put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Because one is baptized into Christ, one is outside of Christ and hence outside of the spiritual place where all spiritual rewards, including salvation, are obtained prior to baptism.
What are the types of blessings?
Food, clothing, and shelter are examples of physical benefits that God provides for our bodily well-being. Internal spiritual blessings are frequently given by God in order for us to love, forgive, and have compassion.
When God bestows bodily blessings, He is not counted among them. When God bestows spiritual blessings on you, He does so with Himself in mind. He wants you to have both Him and the things He can offer you in your life.
What are the blessings of the Holy Spirit?
Four of these gifts (wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel), according to Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae I.II, q. 68, a1, lead the intellect, while the other three gifts (fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord) direct the will toward God.
The virtues function under the impetus of human reason (prompted by grace), whereas the gifts operate under the impetus of the Holy Spirit; the former can be employed whenever one desires, while the latter, according to Aquinas, can only be used when the Holy Spirit wishes. In the case of Fortitude, the gift shares the same Latin and English name as the virtue with which it is associated, but must be identified.
Thomas Aquinas argues the following correspondences between the seven Heavenly Virtues and the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit in his Summa Theologiae II.II:
No Gift is specifically attributed to the virtue of temperance; nevertheless, the gift of fear can be considered as such, because fear motivates people to abstain from forbidden pleasures.
“What the gifts do over and above the theological virtues (which they presuppose) is dispose the agent to special promptings of the Holy Spirit in actively exercising the life of the virtues; the gifts are necessary for the perfect operations of the virtues, especially in the face of our human weakness and in difficult situations,” says the Rev. Brian Shanley.
What does the Bible says about spiritual blessings?
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly realms in Christ,” the apostle Paul said in his introduction to the epistle to the church at Ephesus (Eph. 1:3). We would have adequate motivation to move in that path even if we had no other passage of scripture that linked any desirable end consequence to entering into Christ than this one verse. Although this phrase states that “all” spiritual blessings are “in Christ,” there are several verses that list one or more specific blessings that can be found there. We'll take notice of a handful of them.
What do you mean by spirituality?
Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater total of which we are a part is cosmic or divine in nature.
What are some blessings in life?
1. My immediate family
2. My acquaintances
3. My furry companions
4. My residence
5. My well-being
My yoga practice, number six
The sun is number seven.
Air conditioning is number eight.
9. There will be plenty of stuff to eat.
The beach, no. 10
The ocean is number eleven.
My beach umbrella, no. 12
13. Tiny fluffy clouds
Rainbows are number fourteen.
Unicorns (number 15) (I just like the idea of them.)
16. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Blueberries, no. 17
Watermelon, no. 18
My nieces and nephews are 19 years old.
My online community is number 20.
21. The world's loveliest and most supportive husband
22. My profession
My creative outlets (number 23)
This blog is number 24.
25. My formal education
26. The numerous possibilities that have been provided to me
27. My role models
28. My professors
29. Obstacles that force me to grow
30. The sensation you get after a fantastic yoga class.
31. In Down Dog, there's that adjustment… you know the one…
32. I take a deep breath
Snuggling with furry companions (number 33)
Making new furry pals at the park (number 34)
35. Enjoying the company of furry pals
Frolicking (n.d.) (n.d.) (n.
Cupcakes, number 37
Ice cream is number 38.
Popsicles (number 39)
Sweet tea (number 40)
41. Swings on the porch
42. Rocking chairs made of wood
43. The fact that I reside in an area where I could one day be able to purchase a home with a porch.
44. The fact that I live in a country where I have the freedom to choose where I live.
45. My visual acuity
Hearing No. 46
Taste buds number 47.
Flower buds (n=48)
Music is number 49.
Laughter is number 50.
51. Vibrant hues
52. Breezes cool
53. Comfortable sleeping
54. Feet that bind me to the ground
55. Technology that allows me to stay connected to the rest of the world
56. A mind that enables me to comprehend and communicate with others
The ability to communicate (number 57)
58. I have a washing machine and dryer at my house!
My dishwasher is number 59.
60. Water that is constantly flowing
61. Toilets that need to be flushed
Litter bins (ninety-two)
63. Drinking water that is free of contaminants
64. I'm wearing clothes on my back
65. Outfits that make me feel amazing
66. Shoes… I'm a shoe aficionado.
67. Walking around barefoot
Swimming is number 68.
Tire swings (ninety-nine)
70. Pleasant recollections
71. Amusing tales
Inside jokes number 72.
73. Quiet and peace
74. Getting a good night's rest
Hammocks (ninety-five)
Savasana (no. 76)
77. Pose of a Child
78. Horrible poses (which make me appreciate the ones I like even more!)
Arm balances (ninety-nineth)
Inversions (80)
81. Excellent books
82. Specialty cheese
kale chips (ninety-three)
84. Cat snoozes
Down Dogs (#85)
Coffee is number 86. Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee
Chocolate croissants (number 87)
88. Experimenting with fresh ideas
89. Spending time with family during the holidays
90. Ornaments for Christmas
91. Earring with a lot of dangling
92. Printed textiles with a lot of personality
Handbags (number 93)
94. There are pictures on the walls.
95. My collection of magazines
Walks in the park (ninety-six)
Moonlight (#97)
Candlelight is number 98.
99. Having a good time
Making people laugh is number 100.
101. Assisting others
102. Teaching yoga to others
103. Coming up with innovative solutions to challenges
104. Observing things develop
Playing in the sand, dirt, and water is number 105.
106. Awakenings
107. On a more positive note
108. Appreciating beauty in all forms
What is the greatest blessing from God?
The third level of blessings focuses on man's spirit and concludes with the greatest boon of all: peace. Peace is referred to as shalom, which literally means wholeness or completion.
Shalom is calm, rest, prosperity, health, and overall well-being in the Hebrew sense. Jesus is the personification of that peace: he is our Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom.
How do you attract blessings?
The simplest method to attract additional blessings into your life is to celebrate and promote the positive things you already have going on. You become an energetic match for obtaining even more rewards when you support and applaud the blessings you have already been given!