In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. —Ephesians 1:7 (Our Daily Bread)
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Ephesians 1:15-21New International Version (NIV)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 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 better. 18 I pray 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 his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
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Spiritual Sight
A prisoner who survived 14 years in a Cuban jail told how he kept his
spirits up and his hope alive: “I had no window in my cell, and so I
mentally constructed one on the door. I ‘saw’ in my mind a beautiful
scene from the mountains, with water tumbling down a ravine over rocks.
It became so real to me that I would visualize it without effort every
time I looked at the cell door.”
Ironically, some of the most hopeful books of the Bible—Philippians,
Colossians, and Ephesians—come out of Paul’s house arrest in Rome. The
letter to the Ephesians gives a hint as to what the apostle Paul saw
when he thought about life beyond his place of confinement.
First he saw the spiritual growth in the churches he left behind.
This book opens with a burst of thanksgiving for the vitality of the
Ephesian church (Eph. 1:15-16). Then he sought to open the eyes of their
hearts to even more exalted sights: the “exceeding riches” of God’s
grace (2:7). When Paul cranks up the volume to express God’s plan of
love, not one low, mournful note sneaks in.
If you feel discouraged or question whether the Christian life is
worth it, Ephesians proves to be a great tonic. It prescribes the riches
in Christ available to all.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the staggering
good news of the riches of Your infinite grace.
Thank You for the encouragement and hope
we find in Ephesians. Amen.
No one is hopeless whose hope is in God and His Word.
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