“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” — Ephesians 1:3

Paul begins Ephesians by reminding us that God has blessed us “with every spiritual blessing.” He will spend the following verses describing some of those blessings: sonship, redemption, forgiveness, an inheritance, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet notice where Paul places the emphasis. He does not praise the blessings; he praises the Blesser. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There is a subtle danger in becoming more interested in what God gives us than in God Himself. We can celebrate forgiveness, healing, provision, peace, spiritual experiences, and answered prayer while gradually allowing the gifts of God to occupy the place that belongs to the Giver.

In Missions in the Age of the Spirit, John York warned that “experience without a commitment to fulfill the mission of God will lead to excess.” He then added this sobering caution: “The Church cannot afford to be encapsulated in a celebration of blessing.”

There is nothing wrong with celebrating God’s blessings. We should be profoundly thankful for them. But God’s blessings were never intended to turn the Church inward, endlessly celebrating what we have received. Grace brings us into relationship with God and then draws us into His purposes.

Paul’s words keep the order right: Blessed be God, who has blessed us. The blessing points beyond itself to the One from whom it came.

We are thankful for redemption, but we want to know the Redeemer. We rejoice in forgiveness, but we want to know the One who forgives. We treasure our inheritance, but we want to know the One who gave it. We welcome the gifts of the Spirit, but we want to know the Spirit who gives them.

We are grateful for God’s blessings, but we do not live for the blessings. We live to know Him—and to participate in His purpose.

Never become so captivated by what is in God’s hand that you lose sight of His face. ©

–PGR