Devotion for Tuesday, 17 MAY 2011 Anno Domini

Devotion for Tuesday, 17 MAY 2011 Anno Domini
“15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Eph 1:15-23)
The seal and testimony of faith in Christ is the love we have for others of God’s people. Though we cannot love all men for their wickedness and effrontery to God, we MUST love our fellow saints most. “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints.” He has both heard, and experienced, that love of the Ephesians.
“Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” When we include others in our prayers, we must remember to thank God for the benefit of friends as well as the intercession for which we plead. God approves of a humble heart in prayer as well as persistence as in the case of the widow and unjust judge. Cease not to pray for that which is dear.
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” Yes, God is the Father of Glory and the progenitor of Light. It is clear that the spirit of wisdom and revelation is not a natural possession of the mortal, but a gift from God which is granted. We gain this gift, as the passage suggests, through our knowledge of Him. If we love and study His Word as if a hungry lamb that has just found its mother, we shall know God well.
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Yes, we do have spiritual eyes if we are accustomed to the Light of Day. There is a large underground lake in East Tennessee known as the Lost Sea. It is around 370 ft below the surface. The lake is approximately 5- 6 acres in size. One may take a glass-bottomed boat out onto this lake and observe the variety of fish that have lived there for aeons of time. It is remarkable to see large bass that have lost all of their color and appear snow white due to the absence of the sunlight. And, too, remarkable is the fact that their eyes are grown over with scales since they have not had access to light for such a long time. If we are not careful, we, too, may suffer scales upon our eyes if we do not constantly seek Light from God’s Word. And what abundance of unseen riches awaits the saints through the hope of His Calling!
“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” This exceeding greatness is being worked out IN the believing saints. That work which He wrought in Christ is the work of redemption and saving Grace. A saint is considered completely perfected, but we fall short if we must rely upon our own perfection. It is that of Christ which He imputes to those who are the Elect and Called according to His purpose. We are the New Creation of God, and Christ is the Adam of that new Creation. The first Adam brought sin and death; the second Adam (Christ) brought life eternal.
“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” There is no power that can approach that of Christ the Lord neither on earth, nor in Heaven – not now, not ever! “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” There is no national, secular, or religious power that can challenge that of Christ. They, too, have been placed under Him. He is the Head of the Church – that means His thoughts are the thoughts of the true church. The church moves as He decides, not a committee of five, or nine, or fifty!
“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” The Church is the Body of Christ, both Jew, Gentile, and Greek. The body cannot function without its head. Being His Body, we ought to possess the marks of the cross which He bore. Our suffering, in His Name, is our great reservoir of testimonial love and our heritage of Godly living in Christ. If His Hands and Feet are pierced, so may ours suffer. The crown of thorns may be the disdain and contempt the world displays toward us and in mocking our faith. He bore the stripes for our transgressions? We too may bear the malice of false accusers and name-callers unjustly. His body was badly mutilated and abused by men of power and prestige? So may the church expect similar treatment from the world. As Christ died, the Just for the unjust, so may we live in claiming justice regardless the price we bear and the deceit of those who oppose us. Let us take the counsel of Paul: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Gal 6:9-10).