◄ What Does Ephesians 1:3 Mean? ►

When we bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we offer Him the praise and worship He deserves. We praise Him for Who He is and all that He has done for the children of men. Before the foundation of the world, He knew each one that would believe on His Son and expressed His attitude of love and grace towards us, and showered upon us mercy and untold blessings.

It is God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who is to be highly praised, for He gave His only begotten Son to be born into the human race and to die for the sin of the world, so that we might be accepted in the Beloved by faith in His saving work at Calvary, and be seated together with Him in heavenly places.

We who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ should foster an inner attitude of grateful thanks, loving appreciation, joyous anticipation, and everlasting wonderment at all that He has done for us and His inexpressible love towards us: "In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

It is beyond our comprehension that God could love us so dearly, that He gave His only begotten Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sin, such that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but receive eternal life as a free gift of His grace. No surprise that Paul had to open his letter to the Ephesians by acknowledging Him to be the Father of all mercies and proclaiming: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."

We are blessed in superlative-abundance by God the Father with daily blessings and many manifestations of His love towards us. We are blessed to receive our great salvation, our position in Christ, the indwelling Spirit, and spiritual gifts and graces. We are blessed to know of His unconditional-grace through God the Son, our heavenly Mediator, and great High Priest. We are blessed; indeed, we are doubly blessed with all spiritual blessings by: "My Father and your Father, My God and your God."

We are to praise and glorify the One Who so generously pours out such unimaginable and eternal blessings on all who trust in the anointed Son of His love. While we, who are in Christ, are blessed with every spiritual blessing, God is His grace provides many temporal blessings to all humanity, for God causes His sun to rise on both the evil and on the good, sending rain on the just and on the unjust.

But we are charged to set our hearts on things above, for the spiritual blessings that are already ours, have been given in superlative-abundance and unconditional-grace to all who have trusted Christ for salvation. Present blessings and our eternal inheritance are securely fixed in heavenly places in Christ Who is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory everlasting, and we are eternally united together in Him.

Every good and perfect gift comes to us from the Father of lights, and Christ is the greatest of all Gifts to be bestowed upon humanity. We are His spiritual children and the many blessings we have received from the Father, are contained in God the Son; the Lord Christ Jesus.

The spiritual blessings of which Paul talks in this passage are already ours, for we have already been given all that we need for life and godliness. In Christ, we have been given every spiritual blessing and His spiritual enrichment has already been poured out upon us in superlative-abundance by our Heavenly Father. All we have to do is to access it: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in Christ."

Heavenly Father, we unite our voices in hymns of praise for all the spiritual blessings You have poured out on those who trust in the lovely Lord Jesus for salvation. Thank You that we have been born of the Spirit of God, Who has placed us in Christ, and seated us together with Him in heavenly places. May my will for my life be aligned to Your will for my life so that I may access all the spiritual blessings that are mine in Christ Jesus. To You be all might and majesty, dominion and praise, glory, honour, and blessing, forever and ever, AMEN.