Ephesians 1:3
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
Throughout our world the cancer of negativism has crept in. It's even rubbed off on many of us. It causes us to all always see the glass as being half full rather than half empty. For you see there is a difference in the perspective...for one sees it has only getting half
what we deserved and another sees it has getting more than we deserved. Yet, I pray that this morning, as we start the beginning of another week, that is we would just PAUSE, just for a moment to meditate upon and count the many blessings God have bestowed on us, it would blow your mind! For you see it is absolutely amazing,
astonishing and astounding, the number of blessings that are OURS! Once you start you will realize that time would never permit us to enumerate on all that God has so richly blessed us with. In spite of all that may or may not have happened to us, we are blessed. In spite of all of the hardships, troubles, problems, and painful heartaches we may have suffered or endured, we are still highly blessed.
I personally believe that God intended for every breath of air, every beat of our hearts, every bite of food, every drink of water, every night of rest, every day of contentment and every moment of life to be a blessing!
Yet, we will never see this until we somehow learn...
...to count our 'blessings' instead of our 'burdens'
...to 'smell the roses' instead of 'despising the thorns'
...to 'enjoy the stars' instead of simply 'fearing the darkness'
...to 'benefit' from our difficulties instead of 'bemoaning' them
...to 'cherish' our days instead of 'dreading' them
...to look at the 'beauty' in something instead of the 'blemishes'
and
...to remember 'the good times' instead of only 'the bad times'!
Truly, we are blessed indeed. Just stop and consider a few things and I'm sure you will be amazed:
...a bed to sleep (and can sleep!...some people can't!)
...a table to eat from (with food on it no less!)
...a house to live in (so what if you don't own it...it belongs to your father!)
...light to see by
...clothes to wear
...a car to ride in (no matter how old)
...parents who care about you
...a companion who loves you
...children who obey and respect you (even if not all the time!)
...friends who are friends indeed
...the use of your hands and your feet
...a decent job and good working conditions
...a sane mind with which to think
...a church home were you are being feed God's Word
...the ability to comprehend and understand the Word of God and the list can go on forever.
Although everybody in the world is blessed to some extent or another,
we who are Christians are blessed abundantly! Consider the 23rd
Psalm. As Christians, we are blessed...
...for the Lord is our Shepherd, therefore we shall not want (vs. 1)
...for we shall lay down in 'green pastures' and shall drink of the 'still waters'
...for our soul has been restored to fellowship with God (vs. 3)
...for we are led in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake
(vs. 3)
...for we need not fear any evil, for the Lord is with us (vs. 4)
...for we have a 'table' spread before us, and our 'cup' runneth over
(vs. 5)
...because 'goodness and mercy' shall follow us all the days of our lives
(vs. 6).
Why is God giving us all theses blessings and many more? Because of the blood of Jesus, for the word 'bless' literally means blood which was used to consecrate or to separate for divine usage. God provides blessings for us because we abide in His Son Jesus Christ whose works
are acceptable in the eyes of the Father.
So the next time you are crying about your glass being half full... STOP for a Moment and Count your BLESSINGS!
Edward Price