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.
~ Ephesians 1:16-17 (ESV)
Usually when we think of praying for people, it is the poor, the sick, and other people with problems. But in our passage from Ephesians, Paul says, in effect, that he is so joyful at the faith shown by the church at Ephesus that he prays for them! How much we should remember to pray thanks for our salvation and faith, lest we forget we have it.
When Heinrich Schliemann, the child of a poor Luthern minister, was seven years old, a picture of ancient Troy in flames captured his imagination. Somehow, Heinrich refused to believe that Homer’s great poems were fictional. The Iliad and the Odyssey, he persisted, had to be based on history. So - he set out to prove it. And in 1873, he discovered the site of ancient Troy (along with some fabulous treasure, which he smuggled out of the country, much to the anger of the Turkish government).
Schliemann became a famous, wealthy man because he dared to believe an ancient record and act on his faith. We discovered that we were “born rich” when we trusted Christ. But this is not enough, for we must grow in our understanding of our riches if we are ever going to use them to the glory of God.
Too many Christians have never “read their bank statement” to find out the vast spiritual wealth that God has deposited into their account through Jesus Christ. They are like William Randolph Hearst, who, reading about some wonderful antique treasures, decided he had to own them. He sent out his purchasing agent to locate them and the man found them - in Hearst’s own warehouse. Hearst had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned! Had he read the catalog of his treasures, he would have saved himself a great deal of money and trouble. Just so, Paul desired the Ephesian Christians to understand what great wealth they had in Christ.
Heavenly Father, let me keep always in my heart the wisdom of hope that comes from knowing You. Amen.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Devotion by Mason Barge, Editor, Daily Prayer
Usually when we think of praying for people, it is the poor, the sick, and other people with problems.
No comments:
Post a Comment