Grateful for All that is Ours in Christ!
Part 5 of a 5 part series-
I began this simple exercise in gratitude by recalling some familiar verses in the Pauline epistles, but then quickly found myself leafing through each letter, scanning for spiritual blessings. I began at 6:30 in the morning leafing through Romans, and finally finished with Philemon around 10:30, four hours later.
Sonlife’s resource, 33 Things That Happen at the Moment of Salvation, is only the beginning of mining the depths of all that is ours in Christ Jesus. The list I compiled Thanksgiving morning is not exhaustive, I’m sure, but it filled my heart with awe in worship for the one in whom I’ve found blessings beyond comprehension.
The list I compiled Thanksgiving morning is too long to share in a single blog, so I’ve decided to split it up and share it with you to reflect on between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the perfect season to worship our Savior for all the spiritual blessings that are ours in Him. Enjoy this fifth and final installment of Spiritual Blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus!
121. Thank you Father that my life is now hidden with Christ in you.
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3 NIV
122. Thank you Father that Christ is my life.
“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:4 NIV
123. Thank you Father that in Christ the peace of Christ can rule in my heart.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15 NIV
124. Thank you Father that in Christ I find faith, hope, and love to motivate me to serve you.
“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV
125. Thank you Father that in Christ we have the hope of being reunited with our loved ones who are in Christ.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV
126. Thank you Father that in Christ our faith and love can grow more and more.
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV
127. Thank you Father that in Christ you can bring to fruition every good thing you intend to accomplish in and through me.
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.”
2 Thessalonians 1:11 NIV
128. Thank you Father that the name of Christ can be glorified in me, and I in it.
“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 1:12 NIV
129. Thank you Father that in Christ my heart is encouraged and strengthened.
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NIV
130. Thank you Father that through me your message can be spread rapidly.
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1 NIV
131. Thank you Father that the mercy I have received in Christ is a display to others of your immense patience.
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
1 Timothy 1:16 NIV
132. Thank you Father that Christ’s life was a random paid for mine.
“who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:6 NIV
133. Thank you Father that in Christ I can live and serve with confidence because of your Spirit.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
134. Thank you Father that in Christ I’ve been called to a holy life.
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”
2 Timothy 1:9 NIV
135. Thank you Father that in Christ death has been destroyed.
“but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
2 Timothy 1:10 NIV
136. Thank you Father that in Christ I have received the good deposit of the gospel.
“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
2 Timothy 1:14 NIV
137. Thank you Father that the gospel and your Word cannot be chained!
“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”
2 Timothy 2:8-9 NIV
138. Thank you Father that in Christ I find strength to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7 NIV
139. Thank you Father that in Christ there is a crown of righteousness in store for me.
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:8 NIV
140. Thank you Father that in Christ I will be brought safely into your kingdom.
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
2 Timothy 4:18 NIV
141. Thank you Father that in Christ I can live in such a way as to make the teaching of Christ attractive.
“…so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”
Titus 2:10b NIV
142. Thank you Father that in Christ your grace teaches me to say “no” to ungodliness.
“It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”
Titus 2:12 NIV
143. Thank you Father that in Christ I have the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of Christ.
“while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”
Titus 2:13 NIV
144. Thank you Father that in Christ I’ve been purified to be your very own.
“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Titus 2:14 NIV
145. Thank you Father that in Christ I’ve been saved by the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,”
Titus 3:4-5 NIV
146. Thank you Father that in Christ you’ve poured out your Holy Spirit generously upon me.
“whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,”
Titus 3:6 NIV
147. Thank you Father that I can have a full understanding of every good thing I have in Christ as I share Him with others.
“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ Jesus.”
Philemon 1:6 NIV
148. Thank you Father that in Christ we can refresh the hearts of others.
“I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.”
Philemon 1:20 NIV
149. Thank you Father for your indescribable gift, Christ Jesus my Lord.
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV
Over the past five weeks, we’ve looked at 30 Spiritual Blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus each week… except this week. This blogs’ journey into Paul’s list of Spiritual Blessings ends at 149. If it feels like there should be 150 Spiritual Blessings to make the list even, or that by ending at 149 this list is somehow incomplete, that’s because it is. Christ is a deep well. The riches that are ours in Him are far beyond what any list could hope to describe. So consider my ending at 149 your invitation to search for yourself and add the 150th Spiritual Blessing to this list. And as you do…
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV