Blessed, Blessed, Blessed
#blessed. It's the default caption for photos of new cars, new houses, new jobs, or sunsets. The word has even escaped the parameters of kitschy wall art and metastasized into "2 blessed 2 be stressed" memes featuring Patrick Star. But #blessed was never meant to be a way of bragging about our better-than-you circumstances.
Ephesians 1:3-14
³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. ⁴Before the world was founded, he chose us in Christ. His purpose was that we would stand before him holy and blameless. In love ⁵he determined beforehand that through Jesus Christ we would be adopted to himself as his sons. This was his will and his delight, for ⁶the praise of the glory of his grace, the grace he poured over us so freely in the One he loves. ⁷In him, by his blood, we are set free and our wrongs are wiped away. Such is the wealth of the grace ⁸he lavished on us, in all wisdom and understanding. ⁹He has shown us the secret of his will, the good pleasure he set out in Christ, ¹⁰to be carried out when the times come to their full measure. He planned to gather up all things into one under Christ, everything in heaven and everything on earth, brought together in him. ¹¹In him we too were given our inheritance, determined beforehand according to the purpose of him who works all things in accordance with the counsel of his will, ¹²so that we, the first to set our hope on Christ, might live to the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and put your trust in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the down payment that guarantees our inheritance, until the day God sets free the people he has made his own, to the praise of his glory.
When God blesses us, he's promising to do good to us. But God doesn't speak empty words or wishes. There's no gap between "God blesses us" and "we are blessed." When God declares what is true, reality is reorganized to match his words. In the early 1970s, Carly Simon released the hit "You're So Vain," a song that repeatedly taunts a man who will think she's singing about him. One common reading of Ephesians turns God's plan into a verdict on who's in and who's out. It's easy to think this passage is about us, but it isn't. It's about Christ. God isn't issuing a cold, secretive decree but openly declaring his long-lasting determination to adopt us. His wisdom foresaw that by uniting us to Christ, he could give us the full benefits of being his sons. When Mr. Beast gives someone an island, his advertising partner has to foot the bill. But when God blesses us with freedom and forgiveness, the staggering cost is the blood of the Son that God the Father loves. I would understand if this decision were made in desperation or agony. But because God overflows with love, he freely paid the price with delight. It was his good pleasure to deliberately plan to rescue us in this way. Even more, because we are united to Christ, our lives are ordered so we can live in a way that praises the one who will be acknowledged as the authority over everything. We are recipients of God's abundant grace. God's blessing is a gift from the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In the same way an owner stamps his name on what belongs to him, or writes a check to cover the downpayment on a house, the Spirit personally guarantees that we will always be God's children. Even as we wait to receive the fullness of God's blessing, God dwells with us. Just as we are in Christ, the Spirit is in us. It's a double assurance that we are with the Father as his beloved sons. We see the Father's choice, the Son's cost, and the Spirit's commitment. In the South, we say "bless his heart" after we sabotage someone's reputation. But when God blesses us, we sincerely want to bless his heart. We're not adding anything to his blessedness, but recognizing it. But sincere worship can feel corny. When worship becomes polished, packaged, and performed, an ironic distance seems more authentic. The only way to regain a wholehearted desire to bless God is to keep receiving the blessing he's already given to us.
How does God's gladness in blessing us change your perception of him?
How do you feel when God's blessings don't lead to better circumstances?
What's one way you would live differently if you were certain God had blessed you?
Before you move onto the urgent task waiting for your attention, text a friend one blessing from God in this passage. Then thank God for blessing both of you.