Blessed Be

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NOTE: This is Day One of the devotional guide (Volume 1, Issue 2) of our church, Filinvest Community Christian Fellowship, for the message last Sunday, March 8, on “Know How Much You Are Worth Part 1” (“Significance” series, a verse-by-verse study of the book of Ephesians).

 One time, a man delivered such a touching eulogy for someone known for being a bad husband and father. The grieving widow could no longer bear what she was hearing. She whispered to her son, “Please check if it’s still your father in the coffin. We might be in the wrong wake or he is talking about another person!”

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When we hear the word eulogy, we think of speeches people give at funeral services in honor of their departed ones. It came from a Greek verb that means “to speak well of, to extol, to praise.” [1] According to the MacArthur New Testament Commentary, a eulogy is “a message of praise and commendation, the declaration of a person’s goodness.” [2] When we give a eulogy, we speak well of the person for what he or she has done. (Here in the Philippines, we feel it’s impolite culturally to speak ill of someone who died already, even if the person has done more bad than good things.) However, the dead person no longer hears what we say in our eulogy. We usually hear those who give their eulogies sigh with regret for not grabbing the opportunity to say those things while the person was still alive.

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According to Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be [in the Greek, ‘eulogize’] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Emphasis added). We are to bless God, that is, we are to speak well of Him.
Because no one is truly good but God (Matt. 19:17), our supreme eulogy, our supreme praise is for Him alone. Goodness is God’s nature. … Nothing is more appropriate for God’s people than to bless Him for His great goodness. In all things—whether pain, struggle, trials, frustration, opposition, or adversity—we are to praise God, because He is good in the midst of it all. [3]
But this time, unlike dead people, He is always alive. And we should always grab the opportunity to extol Him. For He deserves all praise. It is always right to lavish praise upon Him. 

"Because no one is truly good but God, our supreme eulogy, our supreme praise is for Him alone." Image credit

Significant Step

Look for opportunities “to speak well” of God to your spheres of influence like your family or the workplace. Take time to praise Him before them for all the good things He has done for you.

[1] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1983), 617.

[2] John F. MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Ephesians (IL: Moody Bible Institute, 1986. Reprinted in the Philippines by CGM, 1989.), 7. 

[3] Ibid. Emphasis added.

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