Ephesians 1 verse 3 Paul says something intriguing. God “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Surely inherent in this promise is a consideration of our maturity. Some of us are spiritual babes in understanding and others among us are teens or adults in grasping the ideas of God. As a responsible parent God would only give what could be safely used. When my sons were boys I did not give them sharp knives nor keys to the car. With gifts come preparation and responsibility. Note that Paul says “in the heavenly realms.” Might that be that each of us has a safety deposit box containing every possible blessing and as we are ready we receive? Could that mean even after being there a thousand years there will yet be more gifts waiting for our maturity?
Paul is expressing to us the lavishness of our Father and nothing we can handle is withheld. We can never say, “But God you didn’t tell me or help me when I needed.” He pours onto and into us everything which we can understand and with which we can cope. What we receive is for our good and the good of those about us. Jesus said, “If we as humans know how to give good gifts to our children how much more does our heavenly Father know how to give His children good gifts.”
Even now that my sons are mature responsible men, I would not give them a car with a thousand horse power unless I also took them to the salt flats in Utah. No one needs a thousand horse power car to use on I-95, not even the winner of the Daytona 500.
Written by Roger Bothwell on February 12, 2015
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org