I remember early on in my life stating that I was going to be a millionaire by the time I was 30. That didn’t happen. Then I came to Dallas to be a key part of the largest apartment builder in the nation but due to the Carter economy, the lights went out in the real estate and development world. I’d given my life to Christ at 12 years of age but must confess I was living with one foot in his kingdom and one foot in this world. But I think I was making all my decisions based on my desire to accumulate wealth.
Then as God would have it, he met me head on one day at Highland Park Presbyterian Church and that night I was convicted of the life I was living and asked God to take out of my life what was standing between me and him. When I stood up, I’ve never felt such freedom. You see, all along God had another plan for Bill and his family. And it was about his kingdom and not mine. As the scripture says; you cannot worship mammon and God at same time. There has to be a choice. So, the bottom line of the story is I came to Dallas to get financially rich, but what I really got was so much more. It’s right there in Eph. 1.3,4.
“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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him”
Do you see this? Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. What more could any person desire. And I might add that you see very closely that he chose me, and if you’re in Christ he has chosen you before the foundation of the world. In other words, there was no accident in any of my story. Nor is there in yours. So, what are some of the spiritual blessings? I can’t name them all as we would be up all night reading them. I leave it to you to add to the list. But here are some of the very special ones.
- Eternal salvation from the sin in your heart and the sin in this world
- Mercy… not getting what you deserve
- Grace… getting what you don’t deserve
- Everything you need while in this world…Mt. 6.33
- An overflowing bundle of the fruit of the Spirit…Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
- Justification, sanctification and glorification
- Faith, hope and love
None of these can be earned or bought, no matter how much money you have. It’s hard to grasp, but all of these are free gifts from the Father through the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And they are yours through faith in the gospel….Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead! By faith in God’s word we are accessible to every spiritual blessing.
So, what is your choice? All the world can provide or God’s all in all? Easy choice, would you agree?