Warning: this post may change your life!

Today I received this envelope in the mail. It says on it "Opening this envelope may change your life!" My first reaction was "Yeah right. Whatever." Of course I didn't think it would for a moment. Then I realized just how wrong my perception was. Unconsciously I was thinking "I mean, it would be nice if it changed my life, but it's really not going to," instead of "If this was true, it would be the worst thing that could happen to me!" I'll let Paul elucidate: 

"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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:3-14).

Wow. To think that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He had given us anything we could possibly need! Not only that, but "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17). Sure, there are things in my life that I know need to be changed, but they need to be taken back to who I already am in Christ, so it's not as much a life change as it is a living up to what I have already obtained (Philippians 3:16). The media bombards us with messages telling us that we need to change, that we are insufficient and that they have what we need. For only $29.99, I can have the life I've always wanted. Consumerism thrives on discontentment. These are Satan's lies, which influence my thinking far too much. The truth is that we have been given everything of value in Christ, but even now the Father of Lights does not stop sending down every good and perfect gift from His infinite storehouse. Every day, if our eyes are open, we realize that we have been given more than we can comprehend. We are everything in Christ and have been given everything through Him, and yet still God's mercies and compassion are poured out with each new day (La 3:23). If there are any changes to be made, it will be Christ at work in me, for His love renews me day by day. In the meantime I'll praise Him for the innumerable blessings He has poured out on me.

New Every Morning Every day is a fresh beginning, Listen my soul to the glad refrain. And, spite of old sorrows And older sinning, Troubles forecasted And possible pain, Take heart with the day and begin again. -Susan Coolidge