As Paul
continued to share the blessings the Lord God poured out upon the
Ephesian church members, he referred to “God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory” giving “unto” them
“the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”.
Paul continued his thought as he shared about their “eyes of
understanding”, “the hope of his calling” and “the
riches of the glory of his inheritance” where we read:
The eyes
of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is
the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints,
The
verse begins, “The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened;” Paul began with the words, “The eyes”
which refers to “the eyes of the mind and the faculty of knowing”
“of your understanding” or “the mind, spirit, way of
thinking and feeling and desiring” “being enlightened”
which means “to give light, shine, illumine, render evident and
cause something to exist and thus come to light and be clear to all”.
When the “saints” of Ephesus receive the “wisdom and
revelation” of God, their minds' eyes and understanding was
opened.
The
verse goes on to say, “that you may know what is the hope of his
calling,...” Paul added, “that you may know” or
“perceive, notice, discern, discover, see, pay attention to,
observe and ascertain” “what is the hope” which means
“the expectation and joyful confidence of eternal salvation” “of
his calling” or “divine invitation to embrace salvation of
God”. The result of their “enlightenment” will be their
“knowledge” of their “divine invitation” to the
“salvation of God”.
Finally
the verse says, “and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints,...” Paul finished this verse with
the words, “and what” or “which, who and how” “the
riches” which means “wealth, abundance of external
possessions, fullness, plenitude and that with which one is enriched”
“of the glory” or “opinion, judgment, view, praise,
honor, splendor and brightness” “of his inheritance”
which refers to “property received, what one is given to as a
possession and the share which an individual will have in that
eternal blessedness” “in the saints” or “with, by and
for the sacred, pure, morally blameless or religious ceremonially”.
In addition to their minds being opened and knowing the “hope
of” their “calling”, they would also realize the
“splendor and brightness” of God's “rich inheritance”
within the “saints”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we may once again marvel that
God would extend to His “saints” “enlightenment” and
knowledge of the “hope of” His “calling” to
salvation, and in addition that He would extend “the riches of
his glory” concerning “his inheritance” which is
found “in the saints”. Let us be reminded that all of this
originates with the Lord Jesus, and in Him we have all these benefits
and blessings. We should praise the Lord for His wonderful gifts, and
His openness to extend such grace to all who “trust in, rely upon
and cling to” Him.
Next
time Paul shares about “the exceeding greatness of his
power”, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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