The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

The beauty of the gospel is that it does not consist of a great mass of doctrine that has to be understood before a soul passes from death unto life. If it were so, salvation would be only for the intelligent and the learned. The moment a sinner believes on Him who died for our sins, he has "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). Believers are saved, not according to their apprehension, but according to the results of Christ's redeeming work.

However, as believers, we do not possess spiritual blessings simply by knowing we are blessed! The great lack among the people of God at the present time is our failure to enter into the enjoyment of the fullness of our blessings in Christ in a practical way. Similarly, Israel failed to take possession of its inheritance and Joshua had to say, "How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?" (Joshua 18:3).

Have we a hunger for the Word and are we feeding upon it daily? Do we seek a clearer view and firmer grasp of all the great truths of the Bible, particularly those that relate to our own blessings? Are we persistent in prayer and diligent in the service of our Lord? Are we seeking to make progress? Do we have a genuineness of heart to grow spiritually? Let us never be satisfied unless these things can truly be said of us. May the Lord awaken His beloved people!

—Samuel Ridout