February 23
“I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:18)
We have been talking about normal Christianity – and about how it is defined by the words and works of our Lord Jesus. It is, essentially, being just like Jesus – impacting our little corner of the world just as Jesus did.
This was what Jesus came to initiate… not just our forgiveness, but our restoration to God’s original plan for human beings – to be the vessels through which God exacted His reign upon this earth (see Genesis 1:26-28)
Our problem usually comes down to one thing… we think that we are always becoming what God wants us to be – but we never feel as though we arrive!!
We see all our frailty and weakness, we shudder at all our failures and inadequacies… then we feel nothing but guilt and remorse because we are not better, more Christlike, Christians. Be like Jesus? “Yeah, in my dreams!”
But here is what God is trying to get across to us. Because of Jesus’ work on our behalf.. the work is already done. We are NOT becoming. We ARE.
We think it’s all about God making us better, or more worthy… but it’s really about God making us His Own. We don’t ease into that. There are no degrees or increments. We are His, or we aren’t. When we yield our hearts to Jesus we ARE His…
Being God’s Own comes with certain rights and privileges (that we also can’t earn or work ourselves into) they are inherent in His possession of us. What we often struggle to understand is the fact that these inherent “gifts” have to do with HOW He sees us, and what privileges we are afforded to us because of our relationship with Him.
In short, belonging to the King… immediately grants us access to all the King is and all the King has. This IS what it means to be born again – we are “born” into the new reality of belonging to the King of Kings… as His Own son or daughter.
We understand the “forgiveness” part pretty well… but we find it difficult to understand that there is so much more beyond merely relieving our guilt and condemnation. God desires to indwell us… pour His grace into us… and use us to impact our portion of the world just as Jesus did. Jesus’ work, in bringing us into the Family of God, enables us to BE what God desires. But this truth is often so hard to grasp…
That’s why we need the “eyes of our hearts enlightened.”
We need to see God’s truth about us in the depths of our spirits – it needs to become our guiding understanding… what drives and motivates us each and every day. Everything about us changes when we truly realize what God has already made us to be, because of the work of Jesus.
We have a new status, a new standing, new privileges, a new purpose… a new life.
But we have to “KNOW the hope of His calling.” We have to realize the “riches of His glorious inheritance (already) IN the saints.” This is not a mental activity – it is a natural response of your reborn spirit.
When you “awaken” to the truth about you, because of what Jesus has done.
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