Spiritual Blessings
Ephesians 1:1-4
Our Veterans fought for something that we can still lose- our freedom. The reason is because this is political freedom. The word politics come from a Greek word for “citizen of the city.” As Christians we are citizens of heaven, that is primary.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Politics are important. We should be involved in the process of being a good citizen. Being salt and light.
Mat 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Our temporary citizenship is here in the USA. And it is protected by our active military and it has been protected by our Veterans. But all of this can change. Most of the things of this life can be stolen, taken away, ruined, dismantled and destroyed. You can lose your wealth, your health, your loved ones and your own physical life.
But there are some things that can not be stolen, taken away, changed for worse, or modified by the winds of change. Paul mentions these ideas in the opening verses of the Book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:1-4 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 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, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
We have much to be thankful for, but we often let our feelings be tainted or effected to too great of a degree by outside influences. When we think of receiving the blessings of God we might immediately begin listing physical things and people. But Paul does not mention the things of this life even though they are important, they should not be foundational.
Paul does not initially mention his family, his two chariots in the garage, his summer house on the Sea of Galillee, his glazed cooking wear from “Pompeii Chief,” or his indoor plumbing.
What Paul stresses here are “ spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” These are things that do not decay or can be discarded over time, rust can not corrupt and even death can not claim. (Paul in prison)
When Paul wrote these ideas he was most likely in prison and yet through out Ephesians we find expressions of praise, joy and lofty nobility. He was not in temperature controlled comfort, surrounded by wonderful possessions or even able to worship in peace without the threat of harassment or even death.
Yet even in these confining, difficult circumstances in which he wrote he has reasons to rejoice and purposes for praise. His reasons were not dependant on a political outcome, a physical blessing, or any worldly comforts – his joy and purpose in life was based on what he had been given by God through His Son- Jesus Christ.
I do not know what kind of emotional luggage you drug in here today but you can leave it outside because we have entered His Courts with Praise. Amen?!
This does not mean that we are not thankful for freedom, our possessions, and our place in life. Yet we should ask ourselves, “Would I be able to praise God and give thanks if I did NOT have these things?
You do not have to own anything to receive forgiveness. You could lose all your freedoms and still receive God’s Spirit. You could become terribly ill yet still receive God’s gift of salvation.
We minimize these blessings, because we are so wrapped up in the physical world. These are true riches, these spiritual blessings but they are cheapened by religious personalities who want to emphasize the temporary and false promises of material and physical blessings- all of which eventually fade.
“Hetty Green” Henrietta Howland Robinson Green (November 21, 1834 – July 3, 1916) She left an estate with an estimated value of $100 Million Dollars.
She was an American businesswoman, known for her frugal nature, as well as for being the first American woman to make a substantial impact on Wall Street. Her family were Quakers who owned a large whaling fleet. When her father died in 1864, she inherited $7.5 million in liquid assets, and against the objections of most of her family, invested it in Civil War bonds. She later began to play the stock market with great success.
She formulated an investment strategy to which she stuck throughout her life: conservative investments, substantial cash reserves to back up any movement, and she had an exceedingly cool head amidst turmoil. She claimed to have made $1.25 million from her bond investments in one year alone. (next Hatty pic.)
Hetty became best known for her stinginess. Her son had his leg amputated because she took so long to get him adequate care because she was looking for a free clinic. Green made much of her business at the offices of the Seaboard National Bank in New York, surrounded by trunks and suitcases full of her papers; she did not want to pay rent for an office. Later unfounded rumors claimed that she ate only oatmeal she heated on the office radiator. 3rd Hatty pic
She never turned on the heat nor used hot water. She wore one old black dress and undergarments that she changed only after they had been worn out. She did not wash her hands and rode an old carriage. She ate mostly pies that cost fifteen cents. One tale claims that she spent a night looking around her home for a lost stamp worth two cents.
She stunk. In summertime the odor would be so foul that people working in the same bank office where she kept a desk would scheme to stay as far away from her as possible. Her long black dresses, decades out of style, would turn green and ragged from wear and filth. Her fingernails were crusty dirty. She went around for 20 years beleaguered by a painful hernia before she finally had to see the doctor. She was outraged by his fee for surgery for $150 , but so desperate that she agreed. And later she tried to stiff the doctor for the fee.
She was given the nickname the "Witch of Wall Street". However, she was a successful businesswoman who dealt mainly in real estate and invested in railroads, in addition to lending money. She kept $20 million to $40 million (think a half billion in today’s terms) in cash at all times for quick loans. On several occasions, the City of New York came to Hetty in need of loans to keep the city afloat, most particularly during the Panic of 1907; she wrote a check for $1.1 million and took her payment in short-term revenue bonds. Keenly detail-oriented, she would travel thousands of miles – alone, in an era when few women would dare travel unescorted – to collect a debt of a few hundred dollars. (Next Hatty pic)
She was called the "World's Greatest Miser" by the Guinness Book of World Records. She died at 81, in a rage, probably from a stroke, when she was arguing with a maid about the virtues of skimmed milk saying it was cheaper. An estimate of her net worth was around $100 – $200 million (or $1.9 – $3.8 billion in todays dollars), arguably making her the richest woman in the world at the time. (Slack, Charles, Hetty: The Genius And Madness Of America's First Female Tycoon. New York: Ecco, 2004.)
She was wealthy but she lived like a PAUPER. She never enjoyed nor benefited from the riches that were hers.
Paul gives a long list of blessings which are ours in Christ in the book of Ephesians and encourages us to walk in them and not live in the little thinking that what matters most are physical wealth and health. (Jesus pics)
We so often get so caught up in the world and worldly things that our vision become so shortsighted that we lose our eternal perspective.
Our spiritual blessings in the heavenly places are protected from economic downturns. You may have lost money in your IRA but you will only gain by trusting in GOD. Do not let politics or economics give you either false hope or undue stress, they are all fading fads compared to the unsearchable riches in Christ.
It is in Him we put our trust, it is in Him we put our hope and it is in His kingdom that we should invest our time, money and energy.
Jesus said, Matt. 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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Richard Vartenisian
