Posted on 01/06/2023 8:30:56 AM PST by metmom
“God...has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3, emphasis added).
Christianity isn’t simply a belief system—it’s a whole new identity.
Many people mistakenly believe that one's religious preference is irrelevant because all religions eventually lead to the same spiritual destination.
Such thinking is sheer folly, however, because Scripture declares that no one comes to God apart from Jesus (John 14:6). He is the only source of salvation (Acts 4:12) and the only One powerful enough to redeem us and hold us secure forever (John 10:28).
Every Christian shares a common supernatural union with Christ. Paul said, “The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him)” (1 Cor. 6:17). We are in Him and He is in us. His life flows through us by His Spirit, who indwells us (Rom. 8:9).
As a non-Christian, you were in bondage to evil (Rom. 3:10-12), enslaved to the will of Satan (1 John 5:19), under divine wrath (Rom. 1:18), spiritually dead (Eph. 4:17-18), and without hope (Eph. 2:12). But at the moment of your salvation a dramatic change took place. You became a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), alive in Him (Eph. 2:5), enslaved to God (Rom. 6:22), and a recipient of divine grace (Eph. 2:8). You were delivered out of the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved Son (Col. 1:13). You now possess His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) and share in His eternal inheritance (Rom. 8:16-17).
All those blessings—and many more—are yours because you are in Christ. What a staggering reality! In a sense what He is, you are. What He has, you have. Where He is, you are.
When the Father sees you, He sees you in Christ and blesses you accordingly. When others see you, do they see Christ in you? “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Suggestions for Prayer
Thank God for His marvelous grace in taking you from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ. Ask Him for wisdom and discernment to live this day for His good pleasure.
For Further Study
Read the book of Ephesians, noting every occurrence of the phrase “in Christ.”
What has God accomplished in Christ?
What blessings are yours in Christ?
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Studying God’s Word Ping
Another good one.
Thanks, Metmom.
For sure. Another one written for me.
LOL. That’s what I was thinking!
Then we have Jesus. A nobody, born without fanfare (for the most part), raised in obscurity (except for the 3 days in the Temple where He schooled everyone), and belittled and ultimately killed in a routine way albeit violently (and willingly) circa 33 A.D.
Any time I think my lot is tough, I envision Jesus being scourged. Whining that the dishwasher is broken, is countered with the flight into Egypt.
I keep tripping over coffee tables, and He picks me up every time.
He must increase, and I must decrease. It keeps a man in perspective AND a better man.
I have been convicted recently that instead of complaining about how the stuff we have is causing us problems, that we should that God that we have it to cause problems. We could live in some third world hell hole in a mud hut.
Also, nobody likes an ingrate. When some complains about something I do for them, I don’t want to do it any more.
How is it different with God? He blesses us and we respond as ingrates. Not good. I need to do far better than that. Why should I treat Him worse than I’d treat other people?
One of the most moving statements I ever heard, was when a Priest (don't hate me) said "Our Lord is forever pining away, waiting for us to ask for His forgiveness.
I act like a petulant child, and He's waiting for me?!?!? Further, to your point, at the store we smile at the cashier and even laugh when they give us the wrong change yet we "thank God" we aren't like that guy over there.
All from a lowly carpenter. We're a mess. But do better we must.
Amen on the mess part!
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