NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN: Mark 3-5
SCRIPTURE READING
Eph 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in
him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
Paul begins this letter with praising God for spiritual blessings. Sometimes we can get
overwhelmed with the tough stuff in our lives but Paul reminds us that we have much to be
thankful for. God, the Father of Jesus, has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.
Spiritual blessings are the best kind of blessings and we are to thank God for them. These
are the blessings that are heavenly in nature in contrast to earthly blessings. We have the
gift of the Holy Spirit; we have the hope of a future eternity with Him because He has saved
us form death. What an amazing God! Another blessing that we can be thankful for is that
God chose us “in him” before the foundation of the world. This indicates that for all eternity,
the Father knew the redemption plan. This should have a profound effect on us when we
realize that it was always God’s plan to save us and to find a way to get into relationship
with us. God took the initiative in redeeming us; it wasn’t a whimsical or arbitrary decision
but something that God had planned all along in Christ. We can take no credit for our
salvation; it is a gift from God. As a result of this “that we should be holy and blameless
before Him”. Holiness is not optional for Christians – it is the purpose for His choosing us.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Spend a few moments in listening prayer, asking God to show you some spiritual
blessings that you can be thankful for. Try to focus on spiritual blessings, not material
blessings.
2. Thank the Lord for His incredible salvation plan, that it was always His plan to save us
and be in relationship with us.
3. Pray that God would grow you in holiness, that He would speak to you about areas
of your life where there is compromise and that He would empower you to grow in these
areas.
