It's Already Yours – Ephesians 1:3

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
– Ephesians 1:3

It's Already Yours!
In the movie Trading Places, Eddy Murphy plays a down-and-out street hustler who because of a bet between two wealthy businessmen, is taken from the streets and thrust into the lap of luxury.  He is given a new, fully-furnished luxury town home (complete with butler, limousine,  and chauffer), a new job with a Wall Street investment firm, and enough wealth to sustain him for the rest of his life.  In the scene where he is taken to his new town home for the first time, "Valentine" (Eddie Murphy's character), starts taking the nick-knacks and valuable antiques from around the living room and hiding them in his overcoat – his face is all lit up like he just hit the jackpot or won the lottery.  The two businessmen just look on and chuckle in amusement, and they try to explain that he doesn't need to "steal" the valuables because they are all his to do with as he pleases.  In a classic comedic move, Valentine looks directly into the camera with a huge grin and a "Can you believe this?" look on his face.  It isn't long before we see Valentine fully integrated into his new life and living as a successful Wall Street executive.  He is even giving investment advice to seasoned stock brokers and market analysts.  He is no longer the down-and-out street hustler – he has become a new man – a new creation if you will.

I can picture God standing by with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, chuckling in amusement as we discover the blessings that have always been available to us, and are ours for the taking.  I think that too often we timidly approach God, and with feeble prayers, we ask for a small blessing when all the time there is a huge blessing in the waiting.  God is just waiting for us to get to a point in our lives when we have the faith to take it, and to be ready to handle the responsibility of receiving it.  Like a parent eagerly waiting for a child to open a marvelous gift, He delights when we discover the blessings He has already designed for us.

Scripture tells us that God has already blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ.  It doesn't say that He WILL bless us – it says that we are ALREADY blessed.  We just have to have the faith to take and accept what is already ours.  And once taken, we have to be mature enough to live the blessing and take on the new life in that blessing.

Example?  You ask for and believe/have faith, that God will bless you with a boldness to preach the Gospel.  God sees that you are spiritually ready, high-fives Jesus, and sends the Holy Spirit to the "Heavenly Storehouse" with instructions to deliver your blessing.  Next thing you know, you receive an invitation to give your testimony in front of the congregation at church.  Afterward, someone who just happened to be visiting your church, comes up to you and says, "You know,  I am headed to India for a missions conference, and I want to pay your way to go with us and tell your story on the opening night of our conference – there will be thousands in attendance!"  You had a small street ministry in mind, but God already had a global outreach blessing ready for you . . before you were even born!

I know not everyone is called to be a speaker or a preacher, but I think you get the idea.  So how do I tap into these blessings that already mine you ask?  It's simple really – you ready for it?  Here it is:

Love the Lord with ALL your heart.
Love the Lord with ALL your soul.
Love the Lord with ALL your mind.
Love the Lord with ALL your strength.
Love your neighbor as yourself.

The key is love – the love OF Christ and the love we find IN Christ.  If we can just figure out how to stop loving ourselves so much, and stop focusing on what it is that WE want, and how WE want our lives to unfold, then we can put our focus where it belongs.  The blessings which are already ours and have always been waiting for us, will be at our disposal and we can realize the abundance of life that God has designed for each one of us.

Prayer
Father, I thank You for the blessings that You have waiting for me.  I pray that I can take hold of the faith to handle the awesome magnitude of Your vision for my life.  Teach me to love with all that I am so that I can claim the  spiritual blessings in Christ that Your Word promises.  Grow me Lord, so that I can handle the blessings once I receive them.  I look forward to seeing the direction my life will take because of Your great love for me.  Help us all Lord, to catch Your vision for our lives and to have the faith to believe in them . . . like You believe in us.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard