In my last post, we started going through Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. Now the Holy Spirit will emphasize us, corporately, as a body of believers.
This next verse is one that I’ve heard many people quote and talk about.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 NIV
What does it mean to be blessed? We use the word a lot, but do we really understand it? More than that, do we understand why God wants to bless us?
We use the word bless very loosely in the body of Christ.
“God blessed me with a parking space close to the store.”
We seem to think that anything good that happens is a blessing. That’s the modern church definition. But when you read the Bible, that thought will hide the truth about what a blessing truly is.
Let’s start by defining it. What exactly does the word bless mean? In the Old Testament it’s the Hebrew word Barak. It means to kneel, which emphasizes the receiving aspect. In the New Testament, the Greek word Eulogeo is used. It means a well-spoken word; and relates to the giving of a blessing.
One thing that we have to realize is that the blessing is always spoken. The actual word, bless, means to endue with power for success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Psalm 118:26 NIV
If you have the name of the Lord, then you’re already blessed. It’s an event that has taken place when you made Christ the Lord of your life.
The verse from Ephesians tells us we have every spiritual blessing IN CHRIST. We have been given access to His name. We are blessed because we come in the name of the Lord.
However, the verse in Psalms takes it to another level. Mature believers don’t just seek to be blessed, but to be a blessing. It’s a choice that has to be made. It’s by faith that we choose to be a blessing to others.
That’s a tall order – to be a blessing to someone. How can I do that? In Scripture we’re told to do everything in the Name of Jesus. It’s in His powerful name that we have what we need to bless others.
The good news is that I don’t have to seek out God’s blessing. According to these verses, He has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heaven in Christ.
We know Scripture tells us that we can do all things through Christ. We have to remember this. We’ll never get that done on our own. We are blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others.
I want to get back to a point I made earlier. Now that we know what a blessing is, we can understand it better. A good parking space is not a blessing – it’s actually the result of the blessing that’s upon our lives.
The important thing to ask is; what am I doing with this blessing. It’s not all about me. I truly believe that God always blesses us with someone else in mind.
We must be sensitive enough to see the needs around us. That means we should be spending time in the Lord’s presence so we can follow His lead. God wants to bless those around us. And He wants to use us to do it.
To walk in this kind of blessed lifestyle, I need to know who I am in Christ. I must understand who I am and what I’ve been given access to in Christ Jesus. Only then can I pass on those gifts to others.
This is the basis for blessing those around me. I can only bless others if I know that I am truly blessed. It takes blessed people to bless people.
Question: How has the blessing of God been evident in your life lately?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 