"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} Let us examine the blessings we have in Christ Jesus.

Called according to His Purpose. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." {Romans 8:28} God's purpose for His children is to save them, hear their prayers, and assist them when they have trouble. The gospel calls us to Him {2 Thessalonians 2:14}.

Saved according to His Mercy. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." {Titus 3:5} We cannot merit salvation or do enough good works to obligate God to save us. God extends His mercy to us because He loves us and does not wish for any to be lost {2 Peter 3:9}.

Forgiven according to His Grace. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." {Ephesians 1:7} Redemption means He "buys us back." From what? We are bought back from our bondage to sin by the blood He shed on the cross. God freely extends this "unmerited favor" to those who are willing to meet the conditions He set to enable us to obtain that grace. We cannot expect to see heaven's glory without God's grace.

Strengthened according to His Power. "Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." {Colossians 1:11,12} God can give us "power" to stand toe to toe with our adversaries and win our battles. If we obey God's will and apply His guidelines, our enemies can never defeat us {Romans 8:31; Hebrews 13:5,6}.

Supplied according to His Riches. "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." {Philippians 4:19} God knows what we need to sustain our lives and make us pleasing to Him. We need to ask God to supply those needs {Philippians 4:6}. True, God know what we need before we ask {Matthew 6:8}, but we exhibit our faith and confidence in Him when we seek His help.

Hope according to His Promise. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance...Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." {2 Peter 3:9,13} While it is true that God wants all men to be saved, that doesn't mean all men will be saved. By sending His Son to earth, God provided the remedy for our sins. Jesus, by shedding His blood on the cross, provided the means of salvation. The next move is up to us-we choose to accept or reject.

Indeed, we have many "spiritual blessings" in Christ Jesus. This makes it of the utmost importance to be in Christ. Those outside experience none of these benefits. God is calling sinners to respond to His invitation-why are you waiting?