This morning Garry continued to speak from Ephesians 1:17-23, talking about the hope we have and the riches of our inheritance in Christ. Paul prays for the Ephesians that the ‘eyes of your heart be enlightened’ – literally a lightbulb moment, a moment of realisation and understanding. Knowledge is one thing, but when we truly understand what God’s word says, we are transformed.
Paul speaks of hope as something positive, not simply wishful thinking. Without God, we are without hope (Eph 2:12) and yet with Him, we have the hope of the resurrection of the dead! Paul prays for a life-enhancing, life-transforming hope, and that we will realise the glorious riches of our inheritance in Christ. (Rom 8:16-17) He prays for realignment, reoritentation, realisation and ultimately for revelation, that we might see that death is not the end, but is for the Christian a transition into something far better and far greater. When we truly accept that, we will not treat life as somethig to be clung onto as our greatest treasure, but we will live life in the knowledge that we can live a surrendered life serving God with all we have, knowing with assurance that there is so much more to come when this life ends.