Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 October 2023 Ephesians 1:17.

20 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 1:17. the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

And this morning, as we declare (steups!!!) ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ a gentle rain is falling upon the land, providing some most needful nourishment, for lately, rain is not something we’ve been seeing much in our area. So we are indeed grateful for this heavenly blessing. And on this rainy Friday morning,  I want to share an interesting prayer of Bruh Paul’s in his letter to the Ephesians. We all know that he had some interesting prayers, not so much for blessings in health, material and worldly things but more for spiritual maturity, and this one is a gem. 

So let’s read, as he writes: ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and LOVE unto all saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.’ (Eph. 1:15-17) What a powerful prayer that is my brethren, for it involves our spiritual understanding of Christ and the Father, that we might get to know and understand them better. The scholars term it ‘a disposition consisting of wisdom and revelation in knowing Him.’ 

Yes friends, it’s all about spiritual maturity, which is the Father’s eventual wish for us, for all to eventually be as close as possible to the character of Christ. That’s why we’re going through all the unfair, unjust and distasteful stuff we’re going through; to grow us into the likeness of Christ. And it’s not easy, but as we keep on saying, whatever God desires of us, He gives us the wherewithal to accomplish it. And if He wants us to be like Christ, then He’s given us the tools to do so, we just have to wake up and use them, and above all be committed to accomplishing God’s will for our lives!  That’s where the wisdom and revelation of knowing Him comes in. 

And furthermore, Bruh Paul sweetens the pot by continuing: ‘The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.’ (Eph. 1:18-19) And yes, Bruh Paul can be extremely complicated, as though he’s speaking to scholars, and not ordinary, mostly unlearned people. But that’s the way it is with some very educated persons, they just can’t explain things simply. (smile) 

However, the scholars explain those verses thus. ‘When the figurative terms are removed from the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, the clause means that “your mind’s understanding may be fully enlightened.” This clause further explains verse 17. That ye may know signifies that the believer comes to know three things upon being enlightened: (1) what is the hope of his calling; that is, he realizes how sure and certain is his heavenly destiny; (2) what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; that is, the illuminated Christian recognizes more and more both the priceless value of his salvation, and what a priceless treasure he is to God; and (3) what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe: perceiving how God’s power has changed him since conversion, he experiences to a greater extent this divine strength in daily living.’ 

Oh my people, what a glorious prayer for both the Ephesians and all believers! That the Lord will help us understand what’s going on in our lives, especially the spiritual aspect, so that we can wake up and more fully understand and believe, then totally surrender our souls and so truly enjoy the life that Christ died for us to have! Now, that’s what the majority of us need to learn and know and put into practice, if we are to ever turn this evil and ungodly world around. Because knowledge and understanding don’t cut it by themselves, action is needed to complete the scenario. 

As James says, ‘Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:17) And that’s what’s wrong with our world today. We Christians claim to have a whole lot of faith, but our works, our godly actions are very negligible in the great scheme of things, consequently our world has fallen deep into the mire of Satan’s evil and ungodly power. Thus, it’s become of the utmost importance for believers to stop talking as much as we do, and instead, step up our godly actions. 

But getting back to Bruh Paul’s prayer, he’s not done yet nuh. (smile) No, he goes on to explain about the ‘mighty power’ of God. But I believe we’ll leave the rest of it until tomorrow, obviously if God spares life, because it will make the Bit too long, and you know we strive to keep it as short as possible…not that we’re always successful (smile) So let’s consider what we’ve learned today, and try to put it into practice, pray for those we LOVE to be filled with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in Christ Jesus, that we can all truly know Him and all the benefits and riches His saving grace bestows on us. 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace in confidence, but sincere humility, and through our Friday Chant, ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. As one prayerful voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…   because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’  

And since the eyes of our understanding have been enlightened, (smile) we now know that the only way to get divine help is by turning from our evil ways and by being obedient to the Word and Will of Almighty God! So let’s do it nuh! Much LOVE!

…to truly understand living for Christ…one must spend serious and sincere time with Him…  

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 January 2016 Ephesians 1:18

10 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 1:18.   The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Well a good Sunday morning to all, as the church bells peal a beautiful and blessed invitation to us to come to the Lord’s sanctuary and worship and glorify Him in sincerity and truth! 

Yeh mih people, it’s a day of togetherness, of praise and thanksgiving amongst the faithful believers in Jesus Christ. So please honour it by darkening the door of your church and celebrating God’s goodness and mercy with others of the same ilk. 

That’s the Lord’s wish for us this second Sunday in the New Year. And if, as we purpose in our hearts and resolutions to lift the name of Jesus and His Good News Gospel this year, we cannot afford to start backsliding so early in the month. (smile) 

Now here is a rather appropriate excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled, ‘The New Year.’  

And it says: ‘Mysterious New Year So wrapped in reserve and surprise You have no reason to feel smug Or even condescending. After all, the majestic God Has full knowledge of you Just as He has of me. 

There is not an issue you can evade. Furthermore, you are powerless To do anything to me That God does not permit. All He allows in His infinite wisdom Is for my ultimate good And His greatest glory. 

Consequently, New Year You cannot trick or disillusion me By your baffling unexplainables Or your feverish activity. My times are in the hands of my sovereign God Whose power is limitless And whose LOVE for me is everlasting.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Let’s never forget that God’s LOVE for each and every one of us, is everlasting!  

And the scripture promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.’ 

But before we get into our Bit, let’s hear what comes before it, so that we can understand in what context it was used. Bruh Paul is here praying for God’s knowledge and understanding for the Ephesians. 

And he begins this section thus: ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and LOVE unto all the saints. Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. 

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set (seated) him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.’ (Eph.1:15-20) 

Oh friends, what powerful and uplifting scriptures! 

Now here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘1:17. The spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him means “a disposition consisting of wisdom and revelation in knowing Him.” 

And we all still need that up to this day my brethren, despite our much better knowledge of God, in comparison to the Ephesians! 

‘1:18-19. When the figurative terms are removed from the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, the clause means that “your mind’s understanding may be fully enlightened.” The clause further explains verse 17. 

That ye may know signifies that the believer comes to know three things upon being enlightened: (1) what is the hope of his calling; that is, he realizes how sure and certain is his heavenly destiny; 

(2) what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; that is, the illuminated Christian recognizes more and more both the priceless value of his salvation, and what a priceless treasure he is to God; 

And (3) what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe: perceiving how God’s power has changed him since conversion, he experiences to a greater extent this divine strength in daily living.’ 

Oh friends, I do hope we understand all of that, because it is so important in our growth, our maturity in Christ. We do need it all; the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, so that we can better understand what He is all about, and are thus enlightened about the certainty and security of our heavenly destiny. 

And my people, my people, that we may truly understand the richness, the ‘invaluableness’ of God’s salvation, and how important we are to Him. As well as understanding His awesome power and how it has changed us since we’ve become new creatures in Christ Jesus. 

Yes my brethren all of that stuff we need to help us in living our daily lives, for without it we’d simply be lost and confused, even more than we are now. (smile) 

Anyway, we’re going to end for today, because I need to go and get myself ready for church – the bells are pealing beautifully in my neighbourhood too – and there is also a lot for us to ponder in the Bit. 

So until tomorrow, the Lord in favour, please, let’s all walk in step with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, securely dwelling under the wide wings of His everlasting LOVE, for that is indeed the wisdom of heaven! 

Much LOVE!…walking daily with Christ…is the only true prescription for earthly living…