Providence
The final blessing on my list is God’s involvement in our now. Does not the Bible say, “Call upon me in your day of trouble?” In other places, we are told that we should not worry; God knows our needs and caringly provides for them. Is it not very easy to call to mind Paul’s words, “All things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose?” Sure these are things which the Christian understands and relies upon. God’s good hand of providence is behind the goings and comings with which our lives swirl. That is a blessing of God the Father given us in Jesus Christ his Son. That is a spiritual blessing!
Advantages for now anchored in heaven
That is what spiritual blessings are. While we cannot see the future and while our present moment may blow down around us with swift and dark winds there is an anchor which reaches through all the bustle right to the throne of God. We have blessings of mind; hope lives right through our trouble because of what God’s intention with, for and through us is.
When we are banging up against our inner strains or find outer stresses smashing down upon us we often call upon God. These calls are not futile. They are not vanities of a foolish, duped mind. No, they are blessings of our good God taught to us by the Holy Spirit, preachers, teachers and personal study of the scriptures. It is a blessing to be able to call upon the Lord.
Recognize also that Paul in Ephesians 1:3 uses a past tense. We are blessed. It is a gifting already placed into our lives. This thing is already done. Will we use it? I think we will. Will we praise God that the options are actually there? Maybe.
Blessings may be experienced without being pondered
Do you know what your kidneys are doing right now? Let’s ask harder questions. What about your liver? Those organs help keep your systems clean and running well. What about your pancreas or your vagus nerve? The pancreas is keeping your glucose under control (hopefully) and your vagus nerve is telling your diaphragm to contract and relax: a.k.a. breathing. What about the molecular machinery recycling your all-trans retinal to 11-cis retinal? Now we are down to the biochemical level of vision. Without 11-cis retinal (a Vitamin A derivative) you don’t get to see.
For most of us, these things are automatic and have been for decades. They work by themselves and do not need you to ponder them. Good thing, eh? Well, there are many spiritual correlates. Spiritual blessings work like your pancreas. They are there, provided by God, ready, active, and very valuable.
How does that affect your notions of God? Such a being is not aloof but above and active; ready and involved. “Fear not for I am with you,” is a way that Isaiah put it.
Compile your own list of spiritual blessings
At the beginning of this segment, I listed off a set of spiritual blessings. Then I wrote that we could make this list much longer. Ephesians 1:3 takes on a more personal dimension when you connect the gifts of God to your own life. A lesson in class or an entry on the internet is one thing. You do not live in that place, however. If you are a Christian then the initial connections of you back to God have been set up. Live there, excel there, by considering your own list of blessings. That will strengthen you in your weaknesses, and it will translate into personal worship, praise, and thankfulness.
Themes from this lesson:
- Spiritual blessings:
- They may be experienced without being pondered
- The blessing is from the enormous security
- Advantages for earth anchored in heaven
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