Ephesians 1
January Memory Verse: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Mark 8:34 (NIV)
Read: Ephesians 1
Read: Ephesians 1
By: Brice Stockton
8 Comments
How wonderful and awesome are the gifts God gives through His Holy Spirit for His glory!
Thanks for your encouraging message today Brice.
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." (v.18)
I wonder if Paul ever ever struggled like I have: what to pray for? What do I pray about? After reading today's chapter, I kinda doubt he had this problem, but he is clearly praying for believers-- who may wonder what to pray about-- to have godly knowledge and insight to grasp the greatness of our hope and inheritance that is theirs in Christ.
An eye opening note from my study bible:
Ephesians 1:18-19
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
"The 'inheritance' here is not the Christian's but his (God's). This indicates how precious his people are to God. They are, so to speak, what he looks forward to enjoying forever"
Brice your last point on the Holy Spirit that he is our guide convicted me greatly this morning. The decisions that the Holy Spirit has decided for me and I surrendered to are so fruitful. The decisions I have made out of the Spirit have major consequences not only for me, but those whom I love the most. Relinquishing that desire to control every situation is a fleshy battle. Today I will focus on surrendering to the Spirit because past blessings I've experienced are far greater than the lows I've been through as a result of me wanting to remain in control...
Amen!
Love this passage! This passage has a lot of deep theological content that scholars have studied and studied for centuries, but it can be so simple as well. God loves us, God calls us, God gives us His spirit. We have the power of God living in us! Thankful for this reminder today! Great stuff, Brice!
Paul says similar prayer in Colossians as well, that they may grow in the knowledge of God and understanding of His mighty Power, working in us! Let that be our prayer and desire too
Thankful for you Brice! Love you man. Also I think Ephesians tells us about our identity as a Christian as to what has happened to us through Christ and what we are to do and where we are going to be