Skip to main content

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.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 2:42-47 - Questions for Reflection & Study

This past Sunday, we took a look at Luke's first summary passage in the story of Acts:  chapter 2, verses 42-47.  Here, Luke is presenting a billboard of what the Church looks like at its best.  He is trying to convince Theophilus that Christianity is worth his attention.  The early Church captures what all of us are looking for, whether we know it or not.  This is a close community that truly cares for one another, where everyone truly is seen as a brother and sister, and where no one person is considered more or less important as the other.  Needs are being met.  There is joy in their fellowship.  Take a moment to think about a time in your life when you experienced the joy and blessing of a deep, loving community?  Where was it, and what made this community so different?  What role did you play in this community? Luke tells us the disciples "devoted themselves" to four essential practices.  The Greek word for "devoted" ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Touchdown Jesus

For the second consecutive year, I traveled up US 31 to South Bend, Indiana on a beautiful fall day. I traveled with Curtis Lawrence, and we went for the sole purpose of watching the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team take the field. Now, I must note that it was my childhood dream to attend Notre Dame. Even loftier, it was also my dream - like many young boys growing up in Indiana - to suit up for the Fighting Irish. Surprisingly - even with such hopes - I had never actually visited the campus. For the first thirty years of my life, I never set foot on one of the more storied and celebrated college campus and football meccas in America. That absence was broken, though, when I made that first trip up to South Bend last year. Let me tell you: even after all those years of waiting, the campus and football stadium at Notre Dame lived up to all the out-sized expectations I had. Like most places of prominence, Notre Dame Stadium really cannot be described through words. It is so...
Post a Comment
Read more

Acts 5:1-11 - Questions for reflection & prayer

This past Sunday we looked at one of the more unsettling stories in the Book of Acts :  the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira.  As shared by Luke, this couple sold a piece of land and then proceeded to bring only a portion of the profit to the apostles - laying it at their feet for the good of the community.  However, what appeared to be their grave mistake (pun intended) was their collusion in claiming to have brought all the proceeds to the apostles when - in fact - they were keeping some back for themselves.  Peter announces first to Ananias the Lord's judgment, followed by a similar verdict being handed down to Sapphira a short time later. Seen by itself, this is a strange story, but it begins to make more sense when we see it as "part of the whole."  The story of Ananias and Sapphira comes right after we hear once again of the community's unity and generosity, including their willingness to share their own goods and resources to take care of one another (ch....
Post a Comment
Read more