Blessing

Jesus told people why he came into the world.  There are several layers to his purpose and goal; he described his mission several different ways.  One is what he said in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  The thief takes away life.  Jesus gives it.  The thief kills and destroys life.  Jesus makes life abundant.

This word translated “abundantly” is really kind of startling.  Other ways it can be translated are: overabundant, excessive, more than enough, beyond measure, abounding, extraordinary, overflowing, and (my favorite) superabundant.  That’s the kind of life Jesus wants us to have – live that kind of life, teach that kind of life, preach that kind of life, share that kind of life with the world.  Superabundant.

Let me try to give you a picture for that.  There once was a town where the only food people had to eat was sardines.  Sardines for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  Babies drank sardine formula.  There was nothing but sardines to eat.  A young man who lived in that town, named Flint, wanted to do something about that.  He was an inventor, and he built a machine he thought would produce food from water.  When Flint started up his machine it didn’t work.  But watch what happened next:  “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”

That’s what I call abundance.  Raining cheeseburgers!  Not sure the Lord meant exactly that when he said he wants us to have abundant life, but if it is, I’m there.  But that is a picture of abundance: raining life.  Life everywhere.  More life than we can imagine.  Overflowing life.  More than enough life.  Superabundant life.  Jesus came for you to have life and have it abundantly.

Another book in the Bible, the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, shows what abundant life looks like, what it really means, what’s included in it.  For the immediate future, I’ll be posting here about what’s in Ephesians (a new post every couple of weeks).  But hopefully you won’t just learn some information.  As we just touch on this in the first 3 verses of the book, I pray all of us will actually experience more of the life that Jesus has for us, that we’ll be able to help each other have more life, and that we’ll be ready to share it and help other people have abundant life by faith in Jesus Christ.

The people who first read this letter lived in and around Ephesus, a port city of the Roman Empire, in what is now Turkey.  They were real people like us – children, teenagers, adults.  Some married, some single.  They had jobs and friends and responsibilities.  They had problems: sickness, aging, death, family conflicts, financial struggles, church squabbles, taxes.  They were trying to follow Christ faithfully even though there was a lot they didn’t understand and sometimes they failed to do the right thing and they lived under the pressure of a pagan society.

The man who sent the letter was Paul, the apostle.  He had been arrested in Jerusalem.  The authorities really didn’t know what to do with him since he hadn’t committed a real crime, but some folks who didn’t like his message about Jesus being the resurrected Messiah got everybody so riled up that the Roman military took him into custody (Acts 21).  They finally decided to let him have a hearing before the emperor in Rome.  On the way from Jerusalem, his ship wrecked in a storm, forcing the crew and passengers to spend the winter on an island none of them had ever been to.  They finally made it to Rome.  Paul was incarcerated in a small house, which he had to pay for, and chained to an imperial guard 24/7.  That’s where he was when he wrote to the Ephesians.

If that was you, what kind of letter would you write?

Here’s how Paul began the letter:  Ephesians 1:1-3 (hover and click the text).

No complaining, no crying.  No bitching, no blaming.  He had abundant life in Christ and he wanted the Ephesians, and you and me, to focus on and praise God for his abundant blessings.

Some people are always asking, “why is there evil in the world?”  Why does racism exist?  Why is there war and terrorism?  Why are children abused?  Why are people going hungry?  Why do diseases and storms destroy lives?  If there is a God who is powerful and loving, they ask, why is there so much bad in the world?  It’s a legitimate question.  But there’s another question.  If there is no God who is strong and caring, why is there any good in the world?  If God did not create humanity in his image and is not actively involved in people’s lives, why does anyone do any good?  Why do some doctors risk their lives treating ebola virus patients?  Why do artists and musicians create things that are beautiful?  Why do some people sacrifice in order to help at-risk kids?  Why are there any hospitals or schools or counseling services?  Why is there any joy or respect or peace or love at all in this world?  I think it is because God is good.  He has blessed us.

He “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…”  God is not stingy.  He doesn’t dole out a little here and a little there.  He is generous.  He provides, like Jesus said, life abundantly.  He gives all of his goodness to us.

“Every spiritual blessing…”  The abundant life Jesus gives and Paul is talking about is deeper than nice homes, shiny cars, cash in the bank, winning championships, and perfect health.  God’s blessing flows into the heart, the soul, the spirit.  The rest of the book breaks that open.  Some of the abundant life in the next few verses includes: being holy and blameless, being adopted into God’s family, redemption, forgiveness, being shown God’s plan for eternity, existing for the praise of God’s glory, and receiving the Holy Spirit.

With these spiritual blessings we can handle problems and withstand disappointments and accomplish excellence and grow into strong people of God and develop genuine relationships and make a constructive difference in the world.  Without them we weaken and stumble.  Without them we lose the most important part of us: the spirit, the inner person.  But God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…”  It’s a done deal; it is what it is.  He has given abundant life.  He has poured out grace and peace.  God’s goodness is available for your spirit.

“In the heavenly places in Christ…”  Heavenly places is essentially the same as saying the kingdom of God.  It’s the way of life that’s rooted in the life of God, ruled by God from Heaven.  That comes to us “in Christ”, in Jesus the Messiah, the King of the Kingdom.  God’s abundant blessings come to us because of and through Jesus Christ by our faith in him and our faithfulness to him.  It is Jesus who came so we can have abundant life.  It is Jesus who shows us how good God really is.  It is Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the dead to bring the Kingdom of God to us and to bring us into his Kingdom.  It is Jesus who opened the way for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives with new life.  All God’s spiritual blessings are available in Jesus Christ.  God’s goodness is within reach of all people.  It’s in Christ and he comes to everyone who has faith in him.

The ultimate blessing, the greatest abundance is God himself.  God in your life as, Paul described him here, your Father.  All the blessings point to and lead to that relationship.  All the goodness of the Kingdom streams from knowing and enjoying God your Father.

A husband and wife discovered that possibility.  Each grew up going to a very strict, legalistic, rules-oriented church.   And when they got married they joined a church of the same kind.  All their lives they heard about sin and judgment, but never about grace and blessing.  Eventually they dropped out of church.

Sometime later they met a woman and went to church with her.  The pastor was preaching a series of messages on God’s grace.  They opened their hearts to God’s goodness and experienced a deep assurance of being loved and cherished.  In time, they were set free from their dread of God and came to know and love him as their gracious Father.  When they were ready to join the church, the wife said, “There are no other words to express how I feel than to say that in the past year we have come to enjoy God… For years we’ve lived in a kind of dread of never measuring up, of always feeling we had to be better for God to love us…   Ever since we received his grace, we’ve not stopped growing in the sheer wonder of his goodness…”

That’s the way God wants you to know him.  He will be your Father who gives you grace and peace, who blesses you with every spiritual blessing, who provides you with abundant life in Christ.