No Blame, No Blemishes, No Barriers!

Ephesians 1:4
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

I don't know how many times I have read this verse of Scripture. Being that Ephesians is my favorite book of the Bible, its is definetly in the hundreds or maybe even thousands of times. And yet, something in this verse stood out to me that I never saw before. Christ chose us before the earth was ever created for us to be "holy and without blame before him in love." Here's what I never realized----this Scripture is telling us that we stand in God's presence with absolutely no blame, no blemishes, and no barriers between us and him!

The Greek word for blame is "amomos." It means blameless, faultless, and without blemish. The Greeks reserved the word to describe religious and moral perfection----a seemingly impossible position to attain. It became a technical term to “designate the absence of anything amiss in a sacrifice, of anything which would render it unworthy to be offered."

When I consider this statement, it is an astounding truth----something that is difficult to accept at face value, and yet, it is the truth. Think of it----we stand before God in a state of perfection! He sees us with no blemishes. The things that we see about ourselves that we don't like. He doesn't see them. The traits in us that bother the people close to us. He doesn't notice them. The physcological barriers that we erect through our low self-esteem and insecurities. To Him, they don't exist. God sees us perfect, worthy, and 100% acceptable.

This truth supercedes any artificial attempts to boost our egos. It hovers far beyond our silly mind games of trying to feel better about ourselves. It goes beyond healthy self-esteem and brings authenticity to man's feeble attempts to overcome guilt and build self-confidence. It is truth that will change our lives if we would just settle it in our minds forever. You and me..........we are on good terms with the Father! How did this happen? It didn't happen by mistake or because God decided to overlook all our faults. It happened because Christ decided to take all our sins, all our mess-ups, and give us all his perfection, all his righteousness, and all his beauty. We are without blemish because he removed the stain of sins from us-----once and for all, forever!

How will this truth change your life if you would just accept it, agree with it, allow it to change your thinking about yourself? Would your days of depression end? Would you cease to avoid the Father and instead draw near to Him? Would you dare to dream for better things in your life---now that you know how qualified you are before God? Would you view others in a more positive light because you are no longer looking down on yourself? Would you expect better things, greater things, and a more enjoyable future?

I say the answer is a resounding "Yes!" to all the above. Determine to live life with no blame, no blemishes, no barriers!!

Thought for the Day

The answer to low self-esteem is in seeing how God sees us

The Basis for Your Prosperity

Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

As a Christian, what is the basis for your prosperity in the Kingdom of God? I'm not talking about merely the principles that all of society considers keys to prosperity----such as working hard, getting a good education, saving and investing, ect. I am talking specifically about your prosperity as a believer in God's "way of doing things."

I have found that most people believe that the key to their prosperity is in their giving. Whether it be their tithing, their offerings, or their charity to the poor----we have been taught that giving is the basis for our prosperity. But this is not correct.

Now I know I have you startled at this point. Let me make it clear that I believe in giving. And the Bible has much to say about giving, both in the Old and New Testaments. Giving is very important. Anybody who functions as God created them to be----will be a giver. We are made in the image of God, and God is this biggest Giver of all!

But our giving is not the basis for our prosperity. The basis for our prosperity, as New Covenant believers, is the Blood of Christ. Please catch that statement! The basis for our prosperity is the Blood of Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. We are blessed, not because we give, but because Jesus gave his life for us (Galatians 1:4). We give not to be blessed, but we give because we are blessed! To turn this around to say that we give to be blessed is to say that the blood of Christ was not enough. This was the same error some of the Jews made in the early church. In Acts 15 there were some teachers that said the new believers in Christ also needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Simply, they were saying that the blood of Christ was not enough. Something more had to be done. Today, you won't here teaching in church telling people they need to be circumcised in order to be saved. But you will hear plenty of teaching telling people that they need to do more in order to be blessed. Isn't this the same faulty teaching wrapped in different garments----the blood of Christ is not enough.

Now the Scripture does make it clear that we are responsible to walk worthy of the calling we have received. Doctrine should always be followed by duty. But everything we do should be out of thankfulness of what He has already done! The truth is that the blood of Christ is enough! It is enough to purchase your salvation. It is enough to provide your healing. It is enough to forgive your sins. And the blood of Christ is enough to provide you with financial prosperity!

2 Corinthians 8:9
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Does the Father take care of us because we give or because He loves us? Does he give us increase because we tithe or because Jesus gave His all for us?

Matthew 10:29-31
²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

This message is not an "anti-tithing" message. This is not a call to cease from giving to the work of the Lord. But this is a word to put this subject of financial prosperity into proper perspective. Give because you are blessed! Give because of what Jesus has already done for you!

With this perspective, I believe we will find ourselves giving more. With this perspective, I believe we will have more to give! We will not be confined to a ten-percent obligation. This knowledge adjusts our thinking and awakens our faith in God's willingness to manifest every provision we have need of. Think of how freeing it is to know that God blesses you on the basis of what Christ has done---not on the basis of what you have or have not done.

Will their be times that God leads you to give as an act of faith, as you are trusting for your own miracle or blessing to manifest. Of course.

2 Corinthians 9:10
Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness......

God gives seed to the sower. He provides bread to the sower. And he will multiply the seed that was sown. But all of this is dependent upon the giver being a "cheerful giver (verse 7)." We can be cheerful in releasing our gift when we know that God has already released his gift toward us in Christ. It is only because of what He gave (His life) that we have something to give. All further increase in our lives finds its source in Christ. The glory cannot go to us. Now if the basis for our increase is in our giving, then the glory goes to us. We made it happen. But if the increase finds its source in Christ, then the glory goes to Him. That's how we got saved. That's how we got blessed. And that's how we will experience increase. The blood of Christ is enough.

Thought for the Day:

"The blood of Christ is the basis for your prosperity"