Anyone For Blessings? I do not know of anyone in their right mind who would say that they do not want blessings for themselves in their lives.  Unfortunately many do devalue important blessings and think they have no need of this blessing or that one.   We need to realize that 100% of the positive, up-building, encouraging, blessings that we ever receive or experience come from our God.  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow or turning.”  (Jas. 1:17).   Call me self-centered, piggish, or hoggish but I want every blessing God has in His mind for me.  I don’t want to miss out on even one of them.  Do you not know that I will miss out if I don’t understand my Father?  I have learned through time that my heavenly Father wants me to know Him and understand Him as much as I can.  I know this because He speaks to me and not to me only but to all who will choose to listen to Him through His holy word the Bible.  I have learned of the blessing of drawing near (Jas. 4:8) to God by being in Christ.  For you or me to receive and continue to receive perfect blessings from God I must continually be attentive to His every word.   Blessings from God come basically in two forms.  Physical which is temporary and Spiritual which is eternal.  God’s physical blessings He equally gives to all He created in His image.  “…He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Mt. 5:45).  With our carnal, worldly, or physical senses we can go through life and think that is all there is and take God and His blessings for granted.  Multitudes do not express gratitude or thanks to God for the riches of His grace and mercy for the sunrise and the sunset; for their heartbeat and their next breath of air.  God’s children are not like this.  They know they are constantly blessed and are a grateful and thankful people.   (Continued on page 2) (Continued from page 1) More importantly to God’s people are the eternal spiritual blessings one has IN Christ!  Christians know, every spiritual blessing is found in our Lord Jesus Christ in the God dwelt place called the church (Eph. 1:3).  Consider now some of the spiritual/eternal blessings found IN Christ from Ephesians.  Christians have IN Christ “redemption” and “forgiveness” (Eph. 1:7).  It is the Christian to whom God can and does extend “the riches of His grace.”  The children of God possess an “inheritance” (Eph. 1:11).  God says nothing of an “inheritance” for those who are not “redeemed” and “forgiven.”  All of God’s children know with certainty that in times past they were broken and alienated from God because of their sin.  Jews in times past were God’s people were alienated from Gentiles.  The whole world in times past was filled with brokenness.  Now God through Christ has made things right for all to be brothers and children of God.  God has reconciled all the broken and divided and brought them together to become His people (Eph. 2:16).   Through Christ all have access to God directly through one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18).  These blessings only touch the hem of the garment regarding what God has done and is doing, and will do for His people.  You don’t want to miss out on these blessings. Christians like others in times past used to run hot and cold.  They would at times be consistent and at times be inconsistent.  They would be reliable and unreliable.  They were just like everyone else.  Sometimes we would bless and do good and at other times we would curse and do evil (Jas. 3:10).  Christians have learned they really can’t live that way any more.  With God’s help they can live a consistent and reliable, dependable life.   Joy for the Christian includes the privilege and opportunity to have a relationship with God through Christ.  In this relationship the Christian serves God in an ongoing way by praising and blessing Him (Luke 24:53).  The thought that God could care and would want to have anything to do with us thrills us and motivates us to express love and do good works.  Christians are particularly grateful to Christ and acknowledge that as the Lamb of God that He alone is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing (Rev. 5:12).   Worship in heaven will be professes unto God with expressions of Blessing and glory and wisdom (Rev. 7:12).  These two passages in the Revelation are just two more passages that help us understand the indivisible nature of the Godhead.   NOTE: Spiritual blessings both are and are not for everyone.  In other words we need to understand that spiritual blessings are conditional.  First let us understand that spiritual blessings are without limit.  This is to say that they are available to 100% of humanity.  This is because of the gracious and merciful nature of God.  The problem comes up when humanity chooses to place their will above God’s will.  “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: (Deut. 28:2).  For God to have a relationship with humanity He expects submission and obedience.  Only then can He have a Father’s relationship with us and bless us.  We must choose to want to be His children.  Spiritual blessings come upon those who are living with a good conscience before God (1 Pet. 3:20-21