Scripture: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” — Ephesians 1:3
We tend to live our spiritual lives backward. We treat approval like a performance review, assuming that if we work hard enough, check enough boxes, and keep our behavior clean, we will finally earn our standing.
Ephesians flips that entire script.
Paul does not spend the first three chapters telling the church what they need to do. He spends the first three chapters hammering home who they already are. He lays out an inheritance that was secured before the foundation of the world: adoption, redemption, and a permanent seat in the heavenly realms.
The order matters. Identity always precedes activity.
When you try to build your life on what you do, you are constantly exhausted, wondering if you have done enough to keep God happy. But when you root your life in who He says you are, the work flows out of rest, not anxiety. You are not working for acceptance; you are working from it.
Reflect: Are you currently trying to earn a standing through your performance? What would change today if you genuinely operated from the belief that every spiritual blessing has already been given to you?