The Church is blessed

Psalm 133:1-3.

[Series on: The Blessed]

Have you ever gone to a place before and thought, gush, that place or people is so full of life–in a good way? That’s how David, the writer of the passage, describes God’s people living in unity—the Church.

Verse 1 says it is good and pleasant, and verse 3b says God blesses it. We see this pattern in the first creation story, where God says that creation is good and then blesses it (Genesis 1:21–22). So, God’s people living in unity here is a creation story—a new creation.

Verses 2–3a show that this new creation is good because of a relationship involving one head—symbolised by Aaron’s head (v2) and a high mountain, Mount Hermon (v3b). This new creation is blessed because of the head above it.

The New Testament tells us that this new creation of God’s people with one head is called the Church (1 Peter 2:10, Ephesians 5:23, 1 Corinthians 12:27). The head is Christ, from whom comes life forevermore (v3).

The church is blessed because it is God’s new creation connected to the source of life—Jesus, who gives all who are connected to Him that oil, that dew, and that life by the Spirit.

While all of God’s creation is blessed with the fingerprints of the Creator God (Psalm 8:3), the Church is uniquely blessed to be called the people of God, blessed with life forevermore because its head and source is Christ.

Reflect & Pray

What are some blessings you enjoy by being part of Christ’s church? How might God’s blessing of life forevermore influence how you live among believers and non-believers?

Thank you, Father, for the eternal life we have in Christ. Amen.

God bless you exceedingly,
Sam.

God’s mercy: sovereign over all

Jonah 1:1-16. I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas break. Happy New Year! Have you ever had one of those sat-nav moments where no matter how far off course you go, it keeps rerouting and repeating “make a u-turn.” That’s the story of Jonah. God sends him north-east to Nineveh, but Jonah heads west to Joppa instead. And the book shows us something remarkable: God’s response to people on the wrong route isn’t abandonment, but mercy. Like a sat-nav, He keeps rerouting and calling us back to Himself. Jonah takes us on a journey into the nature of God’s mercy. In today’s passage, as we see the striking stubbornness of Jonah toward God, we begin to see the saving sovereignty of God’s mercy. In spite of Jonah’s refusal of God’s directive, God is still in control. He commands and can change all things (Ps 148:5, Jer 32:17). ...

The Birth that affects everyone

Luke 2:10-15. (The message of the angel to the shepherds). When a baby is born, people celebrate, send gifts, and travel from all over to see the baby. And it can be pretty expensive for those of us with siblings all over. Often, when we see the baby, we make physical remarks like: “Oh, she’s got a round head like her dad”, or “his eyes are like his mum’s,” or “the baby’s so cute”, or “isn’t it lovely that she sleeps a lot”. All these remarks are not remarks of expectation. We’re not expecting anything from the baby for ourselves, let alone for everyone; that would be odd. But many years ago, a baby was born, and an angel appeared to some shepherds, informing them that this birth had implications for all people (v10). This birth affects everyone, you and me, both in this life and in the next. What did th...

God’s response to repentance is great joy

Luke 15. (The Parables of the Lost…Sheep, Coin and Son). The three parables were Jesus’ response to a criticism from the Pharisees. They saw that tax collectors and sinners gathered around Jesus, and that He welcomed and ate with them (v1-2). And Jesus likened the tax collectors and sinners who had gathered around Him to something important that was lost (v3-32). Can you recall a time you lost something important? I once arrived at the airport and realised my passport wasn’t in my jacket. I thought, could I have forgotten it? In the middle of the check-in area, with everyone stirring, I emptied my hand luggage; my clothes, bank cards, documents, laptop, and everything else were scattered all over the place. I finally found my passport, which I had hurriedly packed with my clothes. Out of excitement, I yelled, “Yes, found it!” A few people began ...

A Devotional Life

Search This Blog