Good morning! My small group is doing a summer study of the Book of Ephesians and we are taking turns writing daily devotions to study and encourage each other. I am so very blessed that I got to write one on Hope today🌼🌸.
OF COURSE, HOPE
What is this HOPE we have been called to share?
Susie Walden
Ephesians 1:17-19Living Bible (TLB)
16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the hope He has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him! 19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power….
OF COURSE, HOPE!
Good morning. Of course, I am going to take every opportunity to speak about hope. My favorite word in the universe.
In this passage in Ephesians, Paul is praying. Love the way he prays! He is praying in verse 18 for God to open the eyes of our hearts so that we are able to see the hope He has called us to share.
So, the first requirement is to
Open the eyes of your heart.
So that it is filled? No! So that is it FLOODED with light, so then you can see clearly this HOPE. This hope that will not disappoint.(Romans 5:5) This hope that is an anchor for your soul (Hebrews 6:19). This hope, Christ, our only hope of glory !(Colossians 1:27)
Wow. There is enough in this one verse to keep me encouraged all week.
How then do I open the eyes of my heart?
The word ‘heart‘ in Scripture signifies the very core and centre of life, where the intelligence has its post of observation, where the stores of experience are laid up.
I like this explanation of where many of us find ourselves…”Too many Christian hearts have no eyes (places where they gain real knowledge and understanding), and too many Christian eyes have no heart…."God wants both to be combined in us.
And the secret? It is ours for the asking. To believe that He keeps his promises and wants us to know Him and share this amazing hope.
So my challenge for you today is:
Do you know this Hope? Do you share it?
Do you speak the language of hope to your family and friends and coworkers?
If the native tongue of your heart is more often whining and complaining, change the language of your heart right now. To Hope. As a Christian, Hope is the native tongue of one who is believing, waiting, trusting, Sharing. Learn to speak the language of hope fluently, with confidence. Because for many, hope is like a foreign language to you and it is hard for you to become fluent in the language of Hope. And we are called to be people of Hope.
And yet Hope is not just for me because of my counseling practice, Journey to Hope. It is for all of us who have opened the eyes of our heart. It is for you. And we are to live hope, breathe hope and share hope with a world that feels hopeless.
Much love and HOPE prayed for you, Susie💙
