Bible League: Living His Word I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious. And you will know that God's power is very great for us who believe.Ephesians 1:18-19 is a part of the prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed on a regular basis for the Ephesian church and, no doubt, for all the churches he was involved with. It's a great prayer to pray for one's own friends, family, church, school, etc. The prayer begins with a request that God would give the ability to see truth. What Paul has in mind here is the ability to see the truth of the Gospel and God's revelation in general. God's revelation may become available to people, but unless the Lord grants the faith necessary to see revelation for what it is it will be lost on them. What Paul is praying for here is that the church would have true religious or spiritual knowledge. If the Lord grants this spiritual knowledge, then we will know certain things. First, we will know "the hope He has chosen us to have." This is, of course, the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the hope of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. It is the hope of abundant life in the present and, ultimately, eternal life. Second, we will know that "the blessings God has promised His holy people are rich and glorious." This refers to all the great and mighty blessings God has promised His people throughout the Bible. Since Christians are God's holy people, all of these rich and glorious promises now belong to us. We may have faith in God to fulfill them in our lives. Finally, we will know that "God's power is very great for us who believe." As Paul goes on to say in Chapter 1, this is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. It is the resurrection power that is already at work in our lives by healing us, strengthening us, and empowering us to do everything God wants us to do. Ultimately, it is the power that will raise us up from the dead just as Jesus was raised. Paul's prayer is a powerful and effective prayer of a righteous man (James 5:16). Why not make it the model for your own prayers today? Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJoshua 14, 15 Joshua 14 -- Land West of Jordan Divided; Caleb given Hebron NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Joshua 15 -- Territory of Judah Allotted NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 4:33-44 Luke 4 -- Jesus' Temptation; Rejection at Nazareth; Public Ministry; Healings NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Those who love your instructions have great peaceand do not stumble. Insight Modern society longs for peace of mind. Here is clear-cut instruction on how to attain this: if we love God and obey his laws, we will have “great peace.” Challenge Trust in God, who alone stands above the pressures of daily life and gives us full assurance. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Luke 22:48 Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?"The kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Let me be on my guard when the world puts on a loving face, for it will, if possible, betray me as it did my Master, with a kiss. Whenever a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for it. Let me beware of the sleek-faced hypocrisy which is armour-bearer to heresy and infidelity. Knowing the deceivableness of unrighteousness, let me be wise as a serpent to detect and avoid the designs of the enemy. The young man, void of understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the strange woman: may my soul be so graciously instructed all this day, that "the much fair speech" of the world may have no effect upon me. Holy Spirit, let me not, a poor frail son of man, be betrayed with a kiss! But what if I should be guilty of the same accursed sin as Judas, that son of perdition? I have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; I am a member of his visible Church; I sit at the communion table: all these are so many kisses of my lips. Am I sincere in them? If not, I am a base traitor. Do I live in the world as carelessly as others do, and yet make a profession of being a follower of Jesus? Then I must expose religion to ridicule, and lead men to speak evil of the holy name by which I am called. Surely if I act thus inconsistently I am a Judas, and it were better for me that I had never been born. Dare I hope that I am clear in this matter? Then, O Lord, keep me so. O Lord, make me sincere and true. Preserve me from every false way. Never let me betray my Saviour. I do love thee, Jesus, and though I often grieve thee, yet I would desire to abide faithful even unto death. O God, forbid that I should be a high-soaring professor, and then fall at last into the lake of fire, because I betrayed my Master with a kiss. Daily Light on the Daily Path Hebrews 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"Hebrews 13:6 so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" Genesis 28:15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." 2 Timothy 4:10,16,17 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. • At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. • But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. Psalm 27:10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up. Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Revelation 1:18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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