Opening
the Eyes of Our Hearts
[Ephesians
chapter 1, verses 15-23]
Today
we will finish up the first chapter in the book of Ephesians. Last
week we learned that all true Christians whose belief in Jesus Christ
is absolute and irrevocable – provided we make a genuine effort to
avoid sinning, as well as remaining uncompromised by our environment,
our surroundings, or the friends we keep – will be saved from
eternal destruction and unending punishment. Not even our families
are exempt from these Christian values as Jesus once said, “If
anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife
and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life –
he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and
follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14, verses 26-27, NIV).
For many people, this is an understandably hard teaching to wrap our
brains around. Under no circumstances does this mean we should disown
our parents or our children or walk out on our spouses, but our
service to Christ does takes top priority over everything else,
beginning with ourselves. Only those who practice these things will
be marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit which guarantees our
eternal inheritance with Christ. The apostle Paul continues this
topic in his letter to the church at Ephesus as he reassures them
that they all have this Spiritual seal, as do we, beginning in verse
15.
“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. 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 even better.”
(Ephesians 1, verses 15-17, NIV)
We
can be sure that this sacrifice of praise continues until the day of
His return by today's true and authentic Church. If any one of us
becomes unsure of their salvation in Christ, or if anyone finds
themselves questioning their belief due to feelings of guilt or
remorse because of their past, or because of financial devastation,
or a family break-up, rest assured that there are Christians
everywhere making constant intercessory prayers for all who believe,
and that includes you. Whether you perceive it or not, you are being
prayed for, so take heart in that. Better still, begin praying for
others and not just people you know. When we see someone suffering
from mental illness or someone in a wheelchair, when we see or hear
an ambulance or a fire truck go by with sirens blaring, when you
encounter a homeless person (especially a veteran), children from
single-parent homes, orphans, widows and the poor, pray for them
first before praying for yourself so that everyone's needs can be met
with the eternal grace and peace of Christ Jesus. Find out what you
can do to help them and then do so. Emulate the example of the
apostle Paul in this regard when he wrote, “... I
have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers...”. We
should by all possible means be doing the same thing! So if any of us
has a need, pray for the needs of others first as Paul did (and as I
try to do as well), so that your own needs can similarly be met. To
borrow a cliche, 'what goes around comes around', and prayer (as well
as the way we treat others) does exactly that. This is one of the few
man-made truisms that applies to the church and the secular world at
the same time. Bearing that in mind, let's continue and finish
chapter one.
“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. That power is like the working of his
mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised him from
the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far
above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title
that can be given, not only in the present age but in the one to
come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to
be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the
fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1,
verses 18-23, NIV)
Open
the eyes of our hearts and enlighten us, dear Lord Jesus! I wrote
briefly about intercessory prayer above, and here is a very good
example put forth by Paul the apostle. We are all called to, “the
riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his
incomparably great power for us who believe”.
You can now see that in the kingdom of God, which will be headed on
Earth by Jesus himself upon his impending return, is the inheritance
of everyone who believes and who worships Jesus as the Son of God in
Spirit and in truth. Incomparable glory and power will be ours as
well, not in our current lives and not in these bodies, but in the
eternal life that is to come for all those who genuinely believe. If
God can “work his mighty strength” by raising Jesus from the dead
into eternal life, He can and will most definitely do the same for
ourselves. This is exactly why eternal life will be the reward for
those who live Godly lives and who put their faith in Jesus above all
else. The supreme sacrifice made by Jesus when He was crucified and
died, and then raised from the dead and saved from hell by God the
Father, and has risen to eternal life sitting at the right hand of
God, He alone shall rule the universe without end – not just the
earth but everything that surrounds it! Jesus is therefore “the
fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”
So, don't we all want to live lives that are dedicated to our service
to Christ first and second to each other? Most definitely, and with
ourselves being last so that our prayers may retain the proper
perspective and be in proper order. So long as we all make sure that
we put Jesus first above all else, we are well on our way to the
eternal fullness and Spiritual wealth that is only found in Christ
Jesus. Let's all keep this in mind as we go through our daily lives,
because that's how we will know for sure that we are on the right
track.
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