Open the Eyes of My Heart

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 a 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 in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit 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 that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1: 15-23

This one sentence in the opening chapter of the Paul's letter to the Ephesians packs more revelation per line than just about any other passage in the New Testament. The fullness of the revelation of Jesus Christ is set forth herein. For this post though, I wanted to focus on the highlighted words. This passage suggests that a person of faith must keep their eye on the ultimate prize through choices, decisions and spiritual growth. So how does one do that?

First, there is a vision of the heart. God made you in His image. He put inside of each of us a spiritual heart that gives one spiritual sight. If someone scars their heart through sin, they become spiritually blind. But, when a person of faith allows God's spirit to enter their heart, the believer gains "enlightenment", i.e. spiritual understanding of the world around us.

Secondly, that spiritual enlightenment leads to an understanding of "hope". Paul told that Corinthians that knowledge "puffs up"; but, that love never fails. Love produces hope in whatever circumstance a person of faith finds oneself. When one understand this there is a "calling". Every believer has been created with certain innate talents and abilities. We are all different. God equips his body with many skills and varied functions. When one becomes cognizant of one's talents and uses those to further the cause of the kingdom there is a reward. Part of that reward is hearing the call of the Lord to do those good deeds that were created for us before the foundations of the earth were laid.

Third, the enlightenment that comes from stepping out on faith are the riches stored up in heaven for us "in the saints". Every time we give a cup of cold water to someone in need in the name of Jesus we are promised that we will not lose our reward. We enter this world with nothing and when we die we leave with nothing; except for the record of our actions while we are here on earth. If we can glimpse the cosmic point of view, we gain understanding into how we are to live life in the here and now.