Chosen and Blessed

by A.W. Tozer

From his book “Reclaiming Christianity”

In Ephesians 1: 3, Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Some people think that a “heavenly place” is a church, but the word “places” in verse 3 should not be in the English translation. The Greek word for “heavenly” is actually plural; it means “heavenlies” in the realm of the Spirit and heavenly things. Thus, what Paul is saying is that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. He has already done this. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, in Christ, just as “he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” (verse 4).

God is eternal and has already lived all our days. He is at the end of time as well as the beginning, for time is simply a little incident on the bosom of God. God surrounds time and has already lived all the tomorrows. Back before time was, God saw you, knew who you would be and knew what your name would be. He knew how tall you would be, whether you would be a man or a woman, whether you would be married or single. He knew whether you would be American or German or Japanese. He knew all about you, smiled and laid His hand on you.

You say, “Oh, but why didn’t I know it sooner?”

It is a mystery, but I do know this: You would never have come to Him if He had not turned to you. Do not ever get up, stick out your chest and say, “I sought the Lord.” You sought the Lord after He made it tough for you and pushed you and urged you. He is the aggressor, not you.

You did not do anything but respond, and the Lord had to get behind you and push. That is the way all God’s people came to Him, so do not feel bad about it. And He chose you before the foundation of the world. God knew your name and my name before there was a sea or a mountain, before there was a star or a planet.