“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

Scripture reading: 1 John 2:12-14; Ephesians 1:1-14

John pauses and speaks to representatives of the entire congregation to which he is writing.  He does so in order to encourage us all in the blessings that come to us in the Gospel.  We are reminded that it is in Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven (v.12); that because of the work of Christ on our behalf, we have fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (v.13); that we have overcome Satan and all of our enemies (v.13,14); and that we have the Word of God abiding in us.  This is a wonderful summary of the fact that every spiritual blessing comes through, and only through, the Lord Jesus Christ (make sure to read the Ephesians passage).

It is well worth our time to pause regularly and think on this fact.  The blessings of fellowship with God, and all that flow from them, come to us in no other way than by faith in the Lord Jesus.  It is not enough to belong to a faithful church family, or to have memorized a catechism, or to be a member in good standing in the visible Church.  While all of these realities are wonderful and should be used to point us to Christ, they can never secure for us the blessings that John and Paul are speaking of.  Only Christ himself can secure these things for us.

Suggestions for prayer

Spend some time meditating on the riches of the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus.  Pray thanksgiving to God, all to the praise of His glorious grace.

Rev. Brian Murray is the associate pastor at Grace ARP Church and the Director of Gillespie Academy in Woodstock, Ontario. He has been ordained in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church since 2003 and he and his wife Melissa have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.