神要赐你各样的福气
以弗所书一章1至7节
1奉神旨意，作基督耶稣使徒的保罗，写信给在以弗所的圣徒，就是在基督耶稣里有忠心的人。
2愿恩惠、平安从神我们的父和主耶稣基督归与你们！
3愿颂赞归与我们主耶稣基督的父神！他在基督里曾赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气：
4就如神从创立世界以前，在基督里拣选了我们，使我们在他面前成为圣洁，无有瑕疵；
5又因爱我们，就按着自己意旨所喜悦的，预定我们借着耶稣基督得儿子的名分，
6使他荣耀的恩典得著称赞；这恩典是他在爱子里所赐给我们的。
7我们藉这爱子的血得蒙救赎，过犯得以赦免，乃是照他丰富的恩典。
信息分享
保罗深切期望以弗所信徒能明白这些道理。你只要一读他在信中所记的两个祷告(一15-23及三14-21)，你就可知道他为他们发出了何等大的祈求-他希望他们能完完全全地得着神所赐的福气。
我们可以向谁求福？我们中国人经常向上天求福；但保罗在这里的第3节，清楚指出我们的福气不单是来自「天上」，更是来自掌管一切的父神：神在基督里赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气！我们所得的一切，都是父神借着耶稣基督赐给我们的；耶稣基督乃是神赐福和人得福的管道。
你可能见过一些引水的管道，它们将河水或水库的水引到需要灌溉的地方。有些时候，水坝需要开启它的巨型大闸，才能让水涌进管道之中。
神一直愿意将祂的爱赐给我们；可是，罪却造成了阻隔，使神的爱不能倾流到我们的生命之中。基督为了我们的罪而甘愿受死(第7节)，此后，只要我们接受基督，我们的罪便被除去，神的爱连同各样的福气便源源不绝地流进我们的生命之中。让我们为着神在我们身上所成就的一切，同心合意地颂赞祂吧！
神的慈爱，为我们定下救恩计划；
神的恩典，将救恩亲自赐给人类；
神的大能，在加略山上填补了神人之间的鸿沟。
DO YOU KNOW HOW RICH YOU ARE?
Ephesians 1: 1 – 7
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Message
Paul deeply longed that the Ephesian believers might know these things for themselves. If you read his two prayers in this letter (1: 15-23 & 3: 14-21) you will see what tremendous requests he made on their behalf. He wanted them to enter fully into all the blessings God had for them.
Where do all our blessings come from? We often sing ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow’ don’t we, and that is very true. Paul said in verse 3 of our reading, ‘God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings’. Everything we have comes from God the Father and it comes to us through Christ. He is the channel.
You may have seen irrigation channels by which water is brought from a river or dam to the place where it is needed. Sometimes a huge gate has to be opened at the dam to let the water flow.
God has always loved us, but sin prevented the free flow of that love toward us. Then Christ died to take away sin (see v.7). When we accept Christ, God’s love flows freely to us with all his blessings. Isn’t that wonderful? Let’s praise God today for everything he has done for us.
Let’s sing:
‘Oh the love that drew salvation’s plan
Oh the grace that brought it down to man
Oh the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.’