S46P13 – A Father’s heart: holding back nothing
Ephesians 1:3
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.
She was the cutest little bundle when she arrived. As a child, she never tired of people pinching her cheeks and saying how precious she was. At home, dad gave her the world. If she wanted his attention, she had it. It was not that she was spoiled and received everything she asked for, but he certainly did everything in his power to provide what he was able to provide. It was not until later in life when she struck out on her own that she realized her father’s way of treating her was unique. In friendships and other relationships, she felt something was missing. What she noticed was that the people who were close to her and professed to care about her were not giving as much as she was accustomed to. They were withholding this, that or the other thing. It was only then that she realized her father’s complete generosity toward her.
We serve a God who is all-or-nothing. It controls that which He desires from us, which is a complete devotion without idolatry. Not only that, it controls that which He gives us. Scripture tells us that He gave his Son all authority in heaven and on Earth. The Father did not give Jesus authority over only some areas or some principalities or some people. The Father gave him complete authority. When Jesus ascended, He sent out his followers under that authority to conquer the world for his kingdom. Today’s scripture tells us that the blessings we receive from the Father through the Son are complete. He withholds nothing. He does not bless us part of the way and expect us to be appreciative of that. He is not satisfied unless He blesses us completely. That is why He gives us every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. That is why every other relationship we might have pales in comparison to what we have with our heavenly Father.
Many of the ways in which God deals with us can be easily understood if we view things in the context of a father-child relationship. That man who sets his eyes on his child for the first time and in that moment pledges to do everything in his power to give that child a good life is exhibiting the heart of our Father. He cannot imagine anything but giving complete love and support. It is his heart’s desire to make sure that that little person wants for nothing and feels completely loved. In the same way, God does not want our spiritual blessings to be deficient and leaving us in want. His desire is the satisfaction of giving us every spiritual blessing available. Father, thank You for your unwavering devotion to us and your generous desire to bless us completely.