"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."
Ephesians 1:3, ESV
So much of what we do can be an attempt to try to earn the favour of God instead of enjoying the access that we now have in Christ Jesus to all the blessings God wants us to have in Him. Christianity is not about people reaching out to a holy God, trying to be worthy of Him. It's about a holy God paying the penalty of our sin through the blood of His own Son, now making us worthy of His blessing.
Everyone has struggled in some way or another with an 'if only' attitude. We think that if we could only achieve a certain goal or achievement then—and only then—would we gain access to something we need. If only I stopped sinning, then maybe God would take me out of my depression. If only I tithed more, then maybe God would give me a promotion at work. If only I went to church every week, then maybe my marriage would be restored.
I'm not saying that you should stop fighting sin, stop tithing or stop going to church. I hope the day never comes that you stop doing all those things, but let's also hope for the day together that we stop doing these things to try to earn God's love. Romans 5:8 tells us, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (ESV).
Luke 15:25–32 tells us of a man who struggled with 'if only' thoughts for a great deal of his life. After his brother had returned after asking for half of his father's wealth, running away and coming home hungry and smelly, the man who had served his father all his life without asking for a penny had enough.
He told the father "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends" (ESV, Luke 15:29b). But then the father tells him something he didn't understand for a very long time: he already had access to his father's wealth as well. He was just too busy trying to earn something that was already his.
How many times do we find ourselves in the same situation as the brother of the prodigal son? We think we're doing the right thing, serving God so we'll become blessed with God's promises, not knowing that it was already paid for in full by Jesus Christ. Our access to God's blessings and promises do not come because of our worthiness. If it did then no one would ever be blessed. It comes because Jesus Christ has already made a way for us to receive every promise.
