Daily Devotion: Because We Believe

Scripture:
Ephesians 1: 15-23

Main Verse:
Ephesians 1: 18-19
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, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Observation:
Paul listed three items that he prayed every believer should understand.

1. The hope to which He has called us - As believers, our hope is in Christ. We have hope that we are always victorious in Christ. We have hope that we can be successful in our spiritual endeavors. We have hope and faith in the Lord because our God is the God who never lies.

2. The riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people - the Lord wants us to experience our inheritance not only in heaven but while we are still here on earth. What have we inherited from God? The Lord has given each of us spiritual gifts. God gave us divine gifts which we could use right away as we are still here on earth.

3. His great power toward those who believe in Him - We can never fathom God's majestic and infinite power. Consider all of the Lord's creations. Isn't it amazing that the Lord has blessed His creation, each creature, each plant and animal, a specific purpose that is beneficial to humankind? The sun gives us warmth. The rain gives us water necessary for our survival. The oceans give us food to eat. I can go on and on, but every big and little thing on earth has a purpose. How great and powerful
is our God!

Application:
The apostle Paul wants us to understand that we need not wait for Christ's second coming to truly benefit from the hope that we have in Jesus, the riches of our Lord, and His great power. As believers, we have the privilege to experience all of these because we believe in Him. Therefore, we should never lose hope when we experience problems because we can trust in the Lord to lead us to victory. We should use the gifts that the Lord has blessed us with not only to advance God's kingdom. We should use them and put them to practice, so we would grow more each day. Finally, let us develop the habit of reading God's Word. It is through reading his Holy Bible that we learn more about God's great power and claim this power in our lives.

Prayer:
Lord, how truly blessed I am! Your Word will never lie about the wonders of your work. Thank you that I have hope in your son Jesus and that I can experience your power in my life. Thank you for your spiritual gifts that I am able to utilize. You are an amazing God!