There is no doubt about, our God is a great God. Need proof of that? Let’s take a quick look through Ephesians 1-3 and learn how He has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing” through Jesus Christ (1:3):
- God has blessed us by adopting us as His children (1:5, 2:19)
- God has blessed us by accepting us in the Beloved (1:6)
- God has blessed us by redeeming and forgiving us through Christ’s blood (1:7)
- God has blessed us by lavishly giving us wisdom and understanding (1:8-9)
- God has blessed us by willing us an inheritance in heaven (1:11)
- God has blessed us by sealing us with the Holy Spirit as a promise of our salvation (1:13)
- God has blessed us by raising us up, making us alive when we were dead in our sins (2:1-7)
- God has blessed us by gifting salvation to us through His grace (2:4-9)
- God has blessed us by building us up as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom (2:19)
- God has blessed us by making us heirs and partakers of the promise of Christ (3:6)
- God has blessed us by allowing us to boldly access Him through Jesus Christ (3:12)
What was God’s goal in giving us all of these spiritual blessings? So often our answer, so we could be saved and go to heaven. While this might be the outcome of all that God has done for us it is not God’s goal.
The answer is repeated three times in Ephesians 1.
“Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5-6)
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-12)
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Did you catch that? God’s goal in accomplishing all of these spiritual blessings for us was so that we would be to the praise of His glory. Don’t miss that. God’s goal in blessing us with all of these spiritual blessings is not accomplished when we are forgiven instead it is accomplished when we glorify Him because of the spiritual blessings He has given us. That's a shift from our normal way of thinking about but it's a shift that we need to take. Let's focus less on ourselves as recipients of God's blessings and let's focus more in God as the giver a all things and praise His glory.
With that through firmly planted in our minds we then can understand better why we are too:
- “Continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15)
- Be “filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11)
- Be God’s special people so that we “may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
- In all that we do, we do it so that “God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11)
We must not take God’s glorious blessings for granted. Instead let us glorify Him in praising His name for all that He has done. Let us give Him thanks for all the blessings He has given us. And let His glorious grace motivate us to live our lives to the glory and honor of His name.
Remember, it’s not about us, it’s all about Him. http://claygentry.com/2010/07/14/to-the-praise-of-his-glory/
