Blessedness (revised)

When I first think of being blessed, I think of having good things – enough money to live well, health, friends, a job…  Those things are blessings, but they are not the whole picture, or even the most important part of it.

"the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us" (Eph.1)

King David realized this: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him...” (Psalm 32:1-2)  What an incredible blessing to know that our holy God will never hold my sin against me!  Because of Jesus, his wrath was satisfied.

  

And beyond this, Paul tells us that God has “blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” by choosing us “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” and predestining “us to be adopted as his sons” (Ephesians 1:3-5), and in Romans 8:2, that “through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death”.  Now that’s a blessing!!  It’s a blessing that is yours and mine forever no matter what circumstances we land in.

blessed assurance, Jesus is mine

In fact this last statement from Romans 8:2 refers back to the end of chapter 7 where Paul is crying out in desperation over his helplessness to stop doing the things he doesn’t want to do and inability to do the things he does want to do.  He’s crying out for rescue from his “body of death”, and then rejoices that Jesus has rescued him and that the Spirit of life has set him free!  That’s us, too.  Have you ever been there!?  But we are blessed that in our lowest moments “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

in every season we are truly and fully blessed

Our Father knows, and sent Paul to help us know, that even if we can’t see all this working out right now, there is no condemnation for our imperfections (8:1).  So that “…if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (8:25) because “the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (8:26) and “the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (8:27)!  And “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…” ! (8:28)  He does not promise that we will never see "tribulation, distress, persecution, famine or nakedness or danger or sword", but that they will never separate us from His love. (8:35 & 39)

Is God's love enough, then?  That is a question each of us answers in our own heart and will.  Perhaps that is why it is faith that pleases God.  We put our faith in His sufficiency to meet us in every extreme of circumstance.  My own experience says that when I believe God's love is enough, I experience it to be so.  If I don't, I end up unsatisfied, restless and feel unblessed to some degree.  I look for more, but it never satisfies.

Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!  We are so blessed and it helps us so much to remember that we are!   When my fleshly side catches me up with dissatisfaction and frustration over my attempts to manipulate circumstances, may I remember Who is on my side, Who is praying for me, Who died with all my sins, and that my life is now “hidden with Christ in God.”  (Colossians 3:3)  Amen!

(P.S.  all the emphasis in the scriptures quoted is mine!)