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Claiming Your Inheritance

In the last few years, God has continually brought my attention back to Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. I have mentioned this prayer on a few occasions, and there is a good chance that it will come up again in the month of November - especially since we are looking at the "riches of our faith" this month.

Here is the prayer:

"I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power." - Ephesians 1:17-19

Paul's prayer is - in essence - a prayer for healing, for blind eyes to open and see a new reality. Paul's deep hope is that the Ephesians can see with "faith eyes" - seeing what is really going on in the world, and not just what they can see physically. Moreover, his other deep hope is that this small congregation of Christians might be able to see the greatness of God and the greatness God has in store for us. I am particularly struck by Paul's desire that Christians might see "the riches of [Christ's] glorious inheritance among the saints."

So often we walk through this world with eyes that are trained to look at the harsh realities of the world we live in. Our eyes become accustomed to the exact opposite of what Paul wants us to see. We get used to seeing the grime of life, not the glory. But, Paul alerts us to a deeper reality - deeper than we can see. Paul reminds us that in Christ Jesus we have already received far more than we could ever ask. We have an incredible inheritance just waiting for us to claim it.

I ran across this quote from Reuben P. Job today that states things very well:

"The good news we share with one another is the gospel's declaration that no matter where we are in life, we are the recipients of God's limitless grace. We can have peace, joy, assurance, comfort, hope, tranquility, confidence, and companionship with our Creator and beyond that, eternal life. With a life bank full of such gifts we are indeed rich. And yet, so often I permit myself to slip into poverty thinking and poverty living. I feel anxious, alone, fearful, faithless, without joy, and sometimes without hope. I feel this way because I have forgotten and lost grip on the inheritance that God gives me anew every morning."

Take some time today or in the coming week to examine your own life. Have you been feeling empty and uncertain? Do you have a sense of God's abundant love? If not, take some time and read Paul's prayer to the Ephesians again (Ephesians 1:17-19).

Closing prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, you are my all in all. By your death, you have given me everlasting life. Through your poverty, you have opened the door for me to enjoy God's glory and rich love forever and ever. Through your suffering and loneliness, you have given me comfort and friendship even for these worldly troubles I am going through. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
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