SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 1:15-23 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (emphasis mine)

DEVOTIONAL:
I love that we get to read this prayer that Paul prays for the church in Ephesus. He prays that God would give them wisdom and revelation of who God is, that they would have ‘the eyes of their hearts enlightened.’ And then we get to a verse about hope. Paul wants these believers to understand, to more fully comprehend, the hope to which they have been called. Do you know you have been called to hope? What hope have you been called to? You have been called to the hope of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, to His ascension into heaven and position on the throne at God the Father’s right hand. You have been called to the hope of your inheritance with Christ, to His power at work in your life, not according to how great you are, but according to the same might that was worked in Christ when He was raised from the dead! That’s really good news, and that’s the hope to which we are called as Christ-followers!

PRAYER:
Father God, I pray this truth would sink deep into my understanding. I pray that when I struggle to find hope, You would give me a glorious revelation of the hope to which I have been called. Let me lift my eyes off my circumstances and place them firmly upon Christ, upon the truth of His life, death, burial, and resurrection, and also upon His ascension into Heaven. Help me to more fully understand the power of Christ that is at work in my life, and let me yield more frequently to that power. Fill me with this hope, God, that does not depend on anything except the unchanging truth of who You are!

READING PLAN:

• Luke 19
• Luke 20
• Luke 21
• Luke 22
• Luke 23
• Luke 24
• John 1
• John 2
• John 3
• John 4
• John 5
• John 6
• John 7