Someone said that trusting Christ is like winning a lottery. People win big sweepstakes, and they seem to have it made for life. No fretting over bills anymore. They upgrade their rusty musty, dusty old car to a brand-spanking-new SUV with tinted windows and all. They build a new home and hire people to maintain their lawns and spray their apple trees. And during the cold season, they jet away to warmer climates. And those are only the observable things onlookers know about. Who knows what other perks they are enjoying since they struck it rich!
As a Christian, you may never own a luxury car or a big home. Your kitchen appliances may always be basic, and your exotic vacations may always be quite local. You may always be lagging behind in the latest phone, and financially, you may always have to watch every dime. You could be plagued with health problems, and you may have your fair share of flat tires. So, really, what were the benefits of trusting Christ – where’s all this wealth??!!
No matter how you look at it, what you have in Christ as a Christian is far superior and infinitely better than the biggest lottery win ever. You have become a spiritual billionaire, and that’s an understatement at best!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” Ephesians 1:3
Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus and reminds them of their riches in Christ – he informs them of their ‘present’ wealth as believers. Your wealth in Christ is not something that will become yours over time if all goes well. The very moment you put your faith in Christ and became a Christian, you became instantly and eternally rich – without any strings attached, unconditionally wealthy in Christ!
Think of this: you now have eternal life. (Romans 6:23) You now have complete forgiveness. (Ephesians 1:7) You have an unshakeable ‘forever’ security. (John 10:27-28; Romans 8:37-39) You have and can never lose the Presence of the Holy Spirit within you. (Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 3:14; 4:6) You are now in a new family – God’s family. (John 1:12) You have been permanently transferred into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. (Colossians 1:13)
Now available to you is spiritual power and strength your unsaved friends know nothing about. (Ephesians 3:16). Now your life can be fruitful for God rather than wasted. (John 15:4-8; Colossians 1:10)
Also, don’t forget, you now have 24/7 access to the highest throne in the Universe – the throne of Grace with all your prayers. And then, how do you even begin to understand the amazing Bible truth that as a member of the family of God, you now are an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ! (Romans 8:17)
This partial list of your blessings and riches in Christ is very short and incomplete. However, as you read your Bible, you will notice that the list grows much longer. In fact, Ephesians 2:7 says it will take the ages of eternity for God to show us the “exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
Don’t look in your driveway or in your bank account to appreciate your true riches. All of that can evaporate and vanish in a flash – and definitely in this life. Look in your Bible for your riches that are permanent and eternal.
Assignment for today:
Look up some of the verses mentioned above and become familiar with how to find them in your own Bible.
Given all your spiritual blessings, think about ways to express your gratitude to the Lord, in addition to your prayers and praise to Him.
