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Wednesday Easter 7

#DailyDevotion Our Christian Hope Is To Receive The Glory Of God

Wednesday Easter 7

Eph. 1:18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

 

When St. Paul was baptized, something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. When Jesus broke the bread, the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized it was Jesus talking with them. When the disciples caught the great amount of fish, they realized it was the Lord.  Unless the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit enlightens the eyes of our hearts, we won’t recognize Jesus and who he is and what he has done for us. Jesus has won for us eternal life.

 

What is this hope that Paul prays that we may know and what we have been called to? The hope we have is the hope of glory. That is to say, we hope one day to have the glory of God. That is will be our possession by grace.  St. Paul says, 2Co 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Again he says, Col 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” St. Peter says it a little differently, 2Pe 1:4 “so that through them [the promises] you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

 

Through faith in Christ we have been made heirs, heirs with Abraham. What are we heir of? We are heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ. Our inheritance is the kingdom of God, the new heavens and the new earth, the New Jerusalem. God himself is our inheritance. Jesus’ righteousness is what we have inherited at Jesus’ death. We are heirs of eternal life. Indeed everything that was Christ’s is now ours by faith but we will see with our own eyes in our own flesh on the day of Christ’s revelation. This inheritance is being kept safe for you in heaven.

 

Finally Paul wants us to know the power of God’s might that worked in Christ when he was raised from the dead. To some extent we have already experienced it when we first believed. Our spirits were reborn, born from above, raised to newness of life. We went from having a dead spirit and soul to having one which now possesses the life of God. That power still is working in us renewing us inwardly day by day, finally on the last day overcoming our mortal bodies with immortality. These things we hope for and will receive as those who trust in Jesus Christ. They can be yours too, for Jesus won these things for all people.

 

Heavenly Father, grant that St. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians may also be fulfilled in us so we too may praise you, your glory and the glory of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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