Every Spiritual Blessing

Christ . . . fills all things everywhere with himself. Ephesians 1:23

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed ________ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because ________ is united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved ________ and chose ________ in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt ________ into his own family by bringing ________ to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on ________, who belongs to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased ________’s freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave ________’s sins. He has showered his kindness on ________, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed to ________ his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ —everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because ________ is united with Christ, ________ has received an inheritance from God, for he chose ________ in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

God’s purpose was that Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when ________ believed in Christ, he identified ________ as his own by giving ________ the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give ________ the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased ________ to be his own. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

I pray for ________ constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give ________ spiritual wisdom and insight so that ________ might grow in knowledge of God. I pray that ________’s heart will be flooded with light so that ________ can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called —his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

ADAPTED FROM EPHESIANS 1:3-18