We spend a lot of time in life getting physical stuff. Food is purchased and prepared daily. Clothes must be bought and maintained. Houses are built for shelter. Toys, furniture, and electronics are on the wish list for providing luxury and entertainment. Shopping has become a national past time.
Work serves the function of making other stuff for people so that we can earn money to buy more of our own stuff. An entire economy exists around physical things. Physical things are what occupies our time and keep us alive.
Religious people create religions around physical objects, and pray for physical blessings. It is possible to go through life without even considering spiritual things and most people don’t.
So when God explains that a hallmark of this dispensation is not physical blessings but spiritual blessings many believe God is not involved in their life.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14
Yet, what is most needful is not physical but spiritual.
The Value of Spiritual Things
Jesus in his ministry to Israel taught:
“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” – Luke 12:15
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” – Mark 8:36
Solomon wrote this wisdom about physical riches:
“There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing:…” – Proverbs 13:7
God is a spirit. Man was made a living soul. There is something more valuable than our flesh made from the dust. Paul writes about what is most profitable:
“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” – 1 Tim 4:8
A Spiritual Dispensation
The present dispensation from God is not physical blessings in the form of a kingdom, hundredfold riches, more land, or daily bread. The present dispensation has as its hallmark spiritual things: grace and faith. These can be far more profitable to us for eternity than our temporal necessities (2 Cor 4:17-18).
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” – 1 Tim 6:7
The blessings we receive of God today are spiritual in nature.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” – Eph 1:3
They have no use to the flesh which should be “put off” and “reckoned dead” (Rom 6:11).
Paul refers to God’s dispensation of grace(Eph 3:1). Grace is a spiritual blessing. Forgiveness, justification, salvation, peace, and eternal life are all spiritual blessings.
The Power of Spiritual Blessings
It is by these spiritual blessings that we are able to “do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13). If our blessings from God were physical, we would not be able to suffer physical need very well (Phil 4:12).
Without these spiritual riches, we would not have an understanding of the manifold wisdom of God (Col 1:9). Spiritual blessings make us mature and stable (Rom 1:11). They give us life and peace.
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” – Rom 8:6
We would never had known to ask for these unseen spiritual blessings in our physical world. This is why we do not know what to pray for as we ought (Rom 8:26). If our blessings were physical we would have list a mile long.
Only when our eyes are opened to the reality of spiritual things can we see God’s abundant spiritual blessings freely given to us today. The world, and large parts of professing Christianity, remain blind to God’s intervention hoping that he will pour physical blessings down from heaven. God appears absent from their life. They reject spiritual blessings as being useless in their temporally driven life. Now you know better.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” – Eph 3:20
Article Index Published: February 16, 2011
Last Modified: October 22, 2016