BROADCASTS.com

We see it in social media hashtags and on T-shirts, but what does it mean to be #blessed? By definition, bless is a verb. It\u2019s an action someone takes to give something to someone else. I could just brag about my awesome family, my best friends, or my new shoes, but saying I\u2019m blessed means someone, somehow, has given me these things. So what do I expect to be true if I\u2019m blessed by God? He has all the power in the universe and is the true Owner of it all. As His child in Christ, I\u2019m cared for by Him. Does that mean I\u2019ll have wealth? Health? Loads of amazing friends? Success in my grades and test scores? Early acceptance to my dream school? Not necessarily. In Ephesians 1, Paul tells us we\u2019ve been blessed, but that this blessing is a spiritual one (verse 3). Our heavenly Father has made it possible for us to be united with Him by faith in Jesus\u2019 work on the cross (verse 7). He\u2019s promised thatno matter what we face in life and no matter what happens in this worlda time will come when he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ (verse 10). In the meantime, He\u2019s blessed us with the Holy Spirit (His very own presence living inside of us), sealing the promise that death is not the endthat God\u2019s people will be resurrected just like Jesus was and will live forever with Him (verses 13-14). Because I\u2019m surrounded by ads promising me all the American-dream #goals, it\u2019s hard to see that what I already have in Jesus surpasses it all. My desire for Jesus to bless me with things only causes me to miss out on the best thing: Himself. Mandy Desilets Reread Ephesians 1:3-14. What are some of the blessings and promises found in Christ? In Christ, we have a true family and communitythe churchcentered around Jesus, our true King. How can knowing we have this forever community give us hope when we feel anything but blessed? All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)\n\xa0\nRead Verses:\nEphesians 1:3-14