She Reads Truth: Songs of AscentSample

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places...” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV) We know that we are blessed. We are here today, living and breathing and reading these truths. We have the Word of God before us, fellow believers [virtually] by our side, cheering us on in our quest to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ. We are blessed. Today let us consider, how deep does this blessing go? We wear many labels. We are daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, friends, wives, mentors, and the list continues. We live in a world that defines us by who we are to others, by our relationships and the roles we fill. We follow suit, creating in our mind’s eye the life we think we ought to have. The type of work or spouse we need, a certain number of children to fill a certain home, the timeline in which we would have it all play out. Christ Himself taught us to pray for daily bread, yet we feast on our best efforts. We strive in vain for false perfection. Sisters, this anxious toil is not what He has for us. The bread God offers is the bread of peace, of blessing, of life. Christ died, the curse of law and sin on His back, to free us from our shoulds and oughts. He took our burdens and gave us blessing. We toil and stress and feel the pressure of countless to-do’s. Yet He says to us, “Sleep. Rest in Me and what I’ve done.” Can you picture Him now, stretching out His hand of blessing and peace to you? You who have a quiver full of arrows, a home filled with tiny feet running and little voices crying... You are blessed with the fullness of Christ today. You whose day is filled with endless meetings and daunting tasks and uncertain outcomes... You are blessed with the fullness of Christ today. You who long to be fully known, to find a partner for the dreams God has planted in your heart... You are blessed with the fullness of Christ today. You whose home has grown quiet, who nervously wonders what will come next... You are blessed with the fullness of Christ today. It is God who builds your house. It is God who gives you bread. It is God who takes your shame and lavishes on you love and freedom and blessing. May we live in light of this blessing today. Amen.