What I’ve already got

What I’ve already got (in Christ) certainly outweighs everything I’ve already lost!

I’ve been reading through Ephesians the last four days. What amazing truth of what I have in Christ! Not things that I need to strive for, wish for, hope for, but already have securely because of Jesus.

My heart has needed to hear what Paul tells us in Ephesians — that we have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing.

“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.” (Ephesians 1:3)

Tired pilgrims need these reminders. I need these reminders!

God wants me to live today with a confidence and hope that comes from knowing that my standing before God is secure. That security has nothing to do with me but has everything to do with what Jesus did for me what I could never do for myself.

Whether we are currently suffering or not (and many of us are), I think there are areas in my thought life that need to feed off of God’s truth that we find in Ephesians. Particularly, that our standing before God is set in Christ.

• Fear can turn to trust because we have a Father who will provide all that we need for the exact time that we need it (every spiritual blessing in heaven).
• Regret comes up over and over to the pilgrim who is in pain from deep loss, yet grace covers that as well.
• My identity is not found in what I do (or did before it was taken away from me), but in who I am in Christ.
• The feeling of being deserted or left alone finds comfort in knowing that my Savior has chosen to dwell in me.
• Sufferers don’t have to hide in shame because our weaknesses are covered by the blood of Christ. 
• What lies ahead in the future is on the hands of a sovereign God, dusty pilgrims forget that (like me).
• I don’t have to fear trouble, difficulty, or suffering, because my Savior uses all these things for my good and his glory.

Oh how I wish I could say that I’ve learned all of these applications.

That’s why we are on the road to eternity. God is shaping, transforming, creating….and he uses my weaknesses, fears, lack of understanding, loneliness, suffering, regrets, to deepen my understanding of who He is, what He has done, and what He has in store for me.

In addition to those things, while reading through Ephesians, God wants me to know right now that he has blessed me with what really matters!

What I’ve already got (in Christ) certainly outweighs everything I’ve already lost!

But, what I have already lost still brings pain and grief — because those things have and do define who I am (to a big degree), and those things loss were loved greatly.

Isn’t that validation for grief?