Category: Ephesians

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe(Ephesians 1:19).

You really can’t imagine how much power God has.

You wanna try? Fine.

Ready….go!

Yeah, well, he’s got more than that.

Which is a really good thing, because you’re weak.

It’s OK, Beloved.  I’m weak, too.  As a matter of fact, when it comes to spiritual matters I’m kind of pathetic.  I try to be strong, and on occasion I pull off a good imitation of strength, but in my heart I know the truth.  I just don’t have the power to be the man I know God has called me to be.

Sound familiar?  No?  You’ve got life perfectly well handled on your own?

Oh, well…then I just feel silly.

Fortunately for me, God does not require me to supply the go-juice for my spiritual walk, any more than I had to redeem myself or find God on my own.  His is the power to get me where he wants me to go.  

He has made us many promises, Beloved.

And he has the power to back them up.

Happy Thursday

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…(Ephesians 1:18)

You know, there’s this thing about an inheritance—you don’t earn it.

Oh, maybe you’re thinking about all the holidays over the years when you’ve driven 100 miles just to eat petrified turkey with your freakshow of a family and you’re saying to yourself, “You bet I’m earning it.  Every dime!”

But you aren’t, really.

An inheritance is a gift that comes to you but was earned by another.  If you earned it yourself, it would be wages.

When it comes to dealing with God, you don’t want your wages, trust me.

You want the gift.

Paul understood this, and he was totally cool with it.  He didn’t stake his claim; he didn’t demand his rights.  He rested in the provision of God and trusted in the One who knew him best and loved him most.

So how about it, Beloved?  Do you trust in God to provide you with an inheritance?

I hear it’s a pretty good one.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…(Ephesians 1:18)

There’s the Someday hope, of course.

That’s the hope of eternity, when we stand before Him, sin and sorrow and shame completely behind us, finally and forever whole and holy as we take our place in his kingdom.

That there’s a good hope, the Someday hope.

But he’s also called us to the Today hope. That’s the hope that comes from knowing that he is ours and we are his and he is working in us and we are hidden in him and somehow this whole messy Tuesday will work for good because we love him and are called…

Yeah, the Today hope is pretty awesome, too.

Walk in hope today, Beloved. He’s given you a lot to walk in.

Happy Tuesday.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…(Ephesians 1:18)

The eyes of your heart, not those of your mind.

That kinda sounds like faith, doesn’t it?

Happy Monday, Beloved

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better (Ephesians 1:17).

That they would know God better

That’s the reason Paul prayed.

So often, we get caught up in trying to solve people’s problems in prayer. We want to “pray specifically,” which kinda means we solve their problem, then give God the plan.

God doesn’t, as a general rule, need our plan.

Paul keeps it simple. He prays that God would be at work in his friends, and that they would know God better. If those two things are happening, all kinds of good will result.

I think I’m going to swipe Paul’s prayer here and use it as my own.

I don’t think he’ll mind.

Happy Friday, Beloved

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation…(Ephesians 1:17)

Wisdom, to know that God is working in the world you see.

Revelation, to know that God is working in the world you don’t.

It all comes from the same place,

or rather,

the same Person.

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

I keep asking…(Ephesians 1:17)

That word “Keep” caught my eye this morning.

I was all set to talk about the What Paul prayed, and the Why Paul prayed.

I almost missed the How.

Paul kept praying. He didn’t throw the occasional “Hey, God, please take care of my friends” up to the sky. He was persistent, because these people mattered to him.

I ask myself, “Am I that consistent?”

And, well, you probably know the answer.

Now, for those of you among the Beloved who are OCDish–and you know who you are–be careful here. This is not a call to 24/7/365 intense, ignore-everything–and–pray-till-your-brain-explodes-then-feel-guilty-because-you-stopped-praying-to-clean-up-the-mess kind of prayer. You may wanna just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember that God adores you. This is a reminder for the rest of us–those who are more ADD than OCD–to keep asking. Be like the widow of Luke 18, who kept asking until she received what she asked for. Be like Dory, only with prayer, and without the amnesia.

Yeah, no–just be like the widow.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers(Ephesians 1:15-16).

I like this.

I gotta remember this.

See, I pray for my friends–not enough, but I do pray for them. Usually, I’m praying that God will bless them, encourage them, help them through tough times, that kinda thing.

Very rarely do I stop to thank God that they are saved.

Today I will. Today I focus my prayers on thanking God that he has chosen these people, that he has called them to be his own, that they are his and he is theirs. I thank God that he has placed them in my life, in large ways or small. I thank him for the way they bless and love and serve as an example for me.

I will be praying for you, today. Whether or not we’ve ever met, the simple fact that you’re reading this makes you a blessing in my life. You provide me with a reason to rant and ramble, with the possibility that my words might, on occasion, bless a few people. You are my ministry, and I thank God for you.

Close your eyes–not until you’re done reading this–and let God bring to mind the people he has blessed you with. Look at those faces–such as they are–and thank God that he has chosen them, that he decided Heaven would be incomplete without them.

As it would be incomplete without you.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

Having heard, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:14).

His glory

Not mine

Not because of what I’ve done, but

because of who he is, despite what I’ve done.

It begins

and it middles

and it ends

with Him.

Today is Monday, Beloved. Breathe deeply and praise him this morning.

He deserves it.

Happy Monday

Having heard, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…(Ephesians 1:14).

It won’t be forever.

It might feel like forever

but

it won’t be forever.

The day will come.

You will be

Redeemed

Restored

Ransomed

Rescued

Rehabilitated

Raptured

and other “R” words I can’t think of at the moment.

Hold tight to your inheritance, and take heart, Beloved.

Happy Friday