Day 331
Ephesians 1:18 NIV
"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."
One of the reasons we struggle with the challenges we face in this life is that we lack spiritual vision and focus for the hope to which we have been called by God. Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians that the eyes of their spirits would be enlightened, so they could know the hope to which they had been called and the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints.
The more we grasp the hope or reasonable expectation God has given us, the less we will be impressed with negative circumstances. We will bounce back from setbacks. We will endure afflictions with strength and determination. We will have a joy in the midst of sorrow, peace in the midst of storms, and confident expectations of good in the midst of negative forecasts.
The hope to which God has called us is a reasonable expectation, because God has made promises to us, and He cannot lie. It is a blessed hope, because all His plans for us are for good, and none are for evil. He has promised to accompany us through attacks when it seems like we are going through overwhelming water or fire. He said He would not allow the circumstances to defeat us. Besides bringing us through tests and trials, God has also promised us a bright future in this life and beyond. Jesus told
His disciples that everything they gave up for the sake of the gospel would be multiplied to them a hundred times in this lifetime, and in the age to come, eternal life would be their reward. Christ gave His followers authority over all the power of the devil in this lifetime and promised to return at some time to receive them to be with Him forever.
Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's, and He takes excellent care of His own. Whether we are in an affluent country or in the desert away from civilization, He meets our needs and blesses us, as we serve Him faithfully. Whether we are in prison for the cause of Christ or simply being lied on by fellow employees as a result of our testimony, God will never leave us nor forsake us and will give us comfort and joy through it all.
Let us seek to have our spiritual eyes enlightened, so we can see the hope to which we have been called. We need to see what a rich and glorious inheritance God has in us. This revelation will cause us to put trouble in its proper perspective. It will enable us to decrease the amount of emotional and mental torment we can suffer because of problems and obstacles the devil or the world will throw at us. We will be able to take the lemons of life and make lemonade with them. Instead of getting bitter, we will get better. The heavy loads thrust upon us will become weights we exercise with to develop spiritual muscles and become stronger and more useful in the kingdom of God.
What we see has such an effect on how we behave and develop. Let us seek to see more clearly the invisible realities that will make our lives more valuable to God and to humanity.
I will seek spiritual vision so I can see the hope God has called me to and the rich and glorious inheritance He has in me. Through a clearer view of that which is invisible to my natural eyes, I will handle the difficulties of life much better and achieve more positive results.