One of my favorite spiritual songs is When Upon Life’s Billows. The words of the chorus are “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.” It is one of my favorite songs because it reminds me to consider how richly blessed I am and how thankful I should be to God.
Perhaps you and I spend so much energy thinking about our tasks that we need to accomplish and the problems that we face that we forget the rich blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us. It is good to occasionally stop and think of all the blessings that come from Him. James 1:16-17 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” In this encouragement, I seek to remind you of some of your blessings. I also encourage you to think of other blessings that I may have overlooked.
God loves and blesses all mankind. Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Our Father in heaven sends blessings on us whether we are just or unjust. He has given us the sun to give us light, to warm us, and to cause plants to grow and to produce food for the earth. He has given us rain to water the earth and cause plants to grow. He has given us an earth of great beauty. I like going to a zoo, a botanical garden, or an aquarium where I can appreciate the wonder and variety of animals and plants that fill the earth and the seas. I enjoy the beauty of flowers in all their variety of shapes and colors from red to yellow to blue. Also consider the heavens with the stars and planets and the moon that give beauty to the sky at night. What a wonderful earth and universe God has given us to enjoy and study. We are greatly blessed.
Each day, God gives us food to eat. He has given us a wide variety of plants to eat from tomatoes to rice to corn to peppers. He has also given us a wide variety of animals to eat from cows to chickens to hogs. He has given us clothes to wear and houses to live in to shelter us. He has given us beds to sleep on at night. He has given us cars, motorcycles and other transportation to get us where we need to go. If it is too hot or too cold, we have fans or coolers or heaters to make it more comfortable. Most of us are blessed with family and friends who fill our lives with love and companionship. We are given possessions which meet and exceed our needs. Most of us have freedoms to say and do almost anything we choose. He has given us wonderful bodies to experience and interact with the world around us. Our bodies are wonderfully made and He has designed us so that our bodies heal themselves from most of the diseases and injuries we might experience. We are greatly blessed.
We also need to count our spiritual blessings. Ephesians 1:3 “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.” Here is a list of some of our spiritual blessings. We have been redeemed and our sins forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). We are justified by our faith and have peace with God (Romans 5:1). We are credited righteousness based on our faith (Romans 4:23-24). We are adopted as God’s children (Ephesians 1:5). We are given his grace (Ephesians 4:7). We are given the Holy Spirit to lead and comfort us (Ephesians 1:13; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:14-15; John 14:16-17). He uses His power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:19). We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26). We have ministering angels to serve us (Hebrews 1:14). We receive wisdom when we ask (James 1:5). We will be resurrected after we die and the second death will have no power over us (Revelation 20:6). We have an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4). We can store up treasures in heaven that cannot be destroyed or stolen (Matthew 6:20). We have the Bible to tell us about God and instruct us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). We communicate with God in prayer and we know He hears us and answers our prayers (1 John 5:14-15). We have a God and His Son Jesus who love us (1 John 4:16; Ephesians 3:18-19). We have the Lord as our helper who will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). We are greatly blessed.
Our physical blessings sometimes are taken from us. For example, we may lose our health or a family member may be taken from us. When these are taken from us, our joy in them is lost. But nothing can take our spiritual blessings from us. Romans 8:37-39 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is constant and sure. For that reason, we can ALWAYS rejoice in the Lord for the blessings He gives us. Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
The blessings we received from God are perhaps too numerous to count. But I encourage you to look beyond whatever trials you have in your life and consider one by one your spiritual and physical blessings given by God. Then, be thankful and rejoice in the Lord.