“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).
TEXT — Ephesians 1:15-23
Message
There was a Sexton (church caretaker) in a church devoted to the pastor. A new pastor came, and someone asked the sexton what he thought of the new preacher. “Well,” said the sexton, “I like him pretty well, but when it comes to praying, the former preacher asked the Lord for things the new preacher doesn’t even know the Lord’s got.” How many so-called believers today also remain ignorant of the depth of our inheritance in Christ.
It is little wonder that Paul expressed this concern about the saints at Ephesus who obviously were missing some vital knowledge of what material and spiritual blessings are available to every believer. In the letter, Paul praised God for the profession of their “faith in the Lord Jesus” and their practice of “love unto all the saints.” He then prayed to God that they might understand the hope of Christ’s calling; to be conformed to His image among other benefits. He also prayed for them to understand “the riches of the glory of his inheritance” — the better things waiting for us as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus; and finally, for them to understand the “exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe” — to comprehend the greatness of God’s power working in their lives.
God’s greatest desire for every believer remains the same today. He wants His Spirit to work mightily in us in a greater measure with greater impact (Ephesians 3:16); and to help us receive more wisdom, more revelation, and more knowledge concerning His redemptive purposes for humanity, the wealth of His resources for the saints, and to enable us experience more abundant power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This should be our desire and prayer as well. We should study and pray to know more about Christ, more about His incomparable power, and more about the greater possibilities of faith in Him for life and eternity.
Thought for the day
What you ask in prayer reflects the extent of your knowledge of God.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.