Why “Abundance” is our middle name

“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

It’s amazing to me how much of my life is spent wanting something that I don’t have. Think about it – the time, the energy, the focus that is spent on wanting. A new car, a bigger house, a better marriage, deeper friendships, more money, longer vacations, shorter work hours, obedient children, satisfaction and fulfillment, purpose…and the list could go on. I’m not sure there has ever been a day when I wasn’t after something that I wanted but lacked.

And so is the way of our world today. A constant craving for more adequately depicts the culture that we are immersed in, and at the end of the day, the unmet desires create space in our hearts for discontentment and unhappiness.

I believe we have forgotten the abundance that is our heritage in Christ. In just one short verse of Scripture, Ephesians 1:3 informs us of a very great and precious promise:

God has given us EVERY spiritual blessing. Not a few, not some, not even several…EVERY. In Christ, there is not one thing that we lack. Abundance is our middle name. In Christ, we have access to “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Meaning? We can have love for our enemies. We can have joy even when our circumstances are anything but joyful. We can know peace during the fierce uncertainties of this life. We can have patience when waiting seems utterly impossible. We can exhibit kindness when the world around us is cruel. We can be characterized by goodness when no one else seems to be doing the right thing. We can possess faith in the face of fear. We can be gentle when others treat us harshly. We can be self-controlled when temptation comes our way.

In Christ, we lack nothing. In Christ, we have no cause or reason for discontentment. In Christ, we have been given more than we need. In Christ, abundance is our middle name.