“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (NKJV)

The trend is changing, and I’m glad.  What trend?  The trend that people say good things about someone only after the person has died.  Typically this happens at the funeral.  It is called a eulogy.  Depending on the formality, one designated speaker, or several at an “open” microphone, will say what a wonderful man he was before he got sick, or remind those gathered of all the good things she did while she was alive.  Hopefully, some of these stories are true.  And even if they’re not all true, we justify stretching the truth a bit because we’re hurting from losing someone.  It also helps us to focus on the good things we remember about the departed and helps us process the pain.  Of course, some of these eulogies aren’t anywhere near the truth!  But that’s another matter.

But people — even Christians — are getting better at speaking well of each other before they die!  That is what eulogy means, literally, “speaking well.”  It comes from a Greek word, logos, and a prefix meaning “good.”  And it is from this that we get our word, blessed, as it relates to God as well as man.  Jesus used this word repeatedly in his first formal message beginning in Matthew 5, “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek…” etc.  So obviously man can be “blessed.”  We’ll return to that thought in a minute.

In the opening text, found in Ephesians 1:3, it says that God is blessed.  The NIV has it “praise to,” as well as in 6 of the other 7 places the word “eulogy” in the Greek appears.  Obviously neither God nor man needs to die before we can speak well of them.  And of course, God can’t die to begin with!  But the gist of this word blessed implies that God is worthy of praise, of speaking well of him.  That is because the more we know him, the more we understand how much we should be speaking well of him.  The book of Psalms is testimony to this.  “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” David begins Psalm 103 (NKJV), “and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”  Every part of our being is to be caught up in praise to God regularly.  Indeed he is entirely worthy.

But the word blessed can also mean a state or condition of favor, prosperity, happiness, etc.  And if anyone is blessed in this way, it is God!  He is uninterruptedly blessed beyond description.  Who can describe the glories of the blessings of heaven?  Even Paul, after being “caught up to the third heaven… unto paradise” (2 Cor. 12:2, 4) couldn’t share the “inexpressible things” he had heard.  Likewise John and Isaiah had glimpses of glory and wrestled with words that would do justice to their visions.

But Paul didn’t stop there in Ephesians.  He writes that this God who is blessed has done the most wonderful thing: He has blessed us!  Now we must ask, “Is God merely speaking well of us, or giving us the favors of heaven, or both?”  I believe it is both.  Certainly, there is nothing natural in us that would evoke God’s kind words.  Our selfishness doesn’t attract God’s commendation.  David knew that.  When he took an offering to gather materials to construct the Temple, the people responded with amazing generosity.  David’s response to God is clear: “Everything comes from you” (2 Chron. 29:14).  Nothing is inherently ours.  We all receive everything from God’s gracious hand — our physical lives, our talents, our parents, everything about our environment, etc.  This is no less true spiritually speaking.  So God blesses us first with salvation, and then speaks of us well.  In the preceding verse in Ephesians he is “our Father,” meaning, “we are his family members.”  That’s a pretty close relationship!  Can you think of a better family to be in?  Perhaps the biggest blessing of all is that he shares anything at all.

And yet Paul isn’t quite done.  He says we have “every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Every blessing; not one is missing.  David knew this too: “…no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Ps. 84:11).  God is not stingy; nor does he hoard his blessings or restrain his generosity.  He has “given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) and will “graciously give us all things” (Rom. 8:32).  God’s character is never the issue.  All too often it’s our perspective that needs clearing up.

Are you blessing God today for all of his incredible daily blessings that you receive freely?