Hope of His calling

with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Ephesians 1: 18-19

The eyes of our heart is our understanding. Paul wants the Ephesians’ understanding of God to have spiritual depth and spiritually insight that they may better know that God has called them to be in Christ. The hope that God has called us is to live with the peace and wisdom of Christ. To live beyond a normal existence and experience things this world cannot give. To be in Christ is to accept him as Lord over our lives and live according to his will.

How do we learn to live with the peace and wisdom of Christ? What is it that transforms us to experience a life different from others in this world? Although prayer and Bible study are important there are others things which God uses to enlighten our minds. Sometime painful experiences are the only way to get our attention. When we are busy with day to day problems we often forget God. In our comfortable lives God seems unnecessary. We put God on the back burner and busy ourselves with menial task. We comfort ourselves with loved ones, shopping sprees, or entertainment. There is so much in this world to draw our attention we fail to notice how we replace God with people and things.

Suffering is a powerful focusing agent. If a loved one is ill or we lose the ability to pay our bills the associated pain quickly prioritizes out thinking. Where we once drifted from one amusement to another, pain will cause us to drop every insignificant thing and bring all our attention to bear on the pain. We quickly turn to the Bible for a word of hope or to prayer for peace.

Suffering produces endurance as we learn to carry more for a longer period of time. Endurance produces character when we have learned to endure we become people with a better reputation. We stop acting as children and display the character of maturity. This new found character produces hope of Christ in our lives. And the richness of God’s salvation from a life of sin to the inheritance of the saints produces peace.

Dear Lord, fill me with hope to know your calling. Let me learn from the things you bring into my life. Give to me all I can bear so that I may develop endurance, character and hope. Let me always remember the glorious richness you have given me and the immeasurable greatness of your power.