Ephesians 1:15-19 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 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: 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,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power,
DAY 23—We have the earnest of our inheritance until the full Redemption comes.
I
t is beginning to become clear that there is more for us to know of the redemption. We might say it this way: our position in Christ is complete. It is our condition for which we hold concern. While still in this age, wherein does our answer reside? It is in the Lord Jesus Himself. By His Spirit, He is alive in us today. The Apostle Paul held a balance on this. He said, Ye are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Then, he said, I press toward the mark (Philippians 3:14). The word mark is from that Greek sko’pos which means “the mark or object on which one fixes the eye.” We are learning to keep Jesus in our “scope,” watch Him, and move with Him. We are learning to let Him live in us.
Ephesians 1:13b—...after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise (you were distinctly invested with the character the Holy Spirit gives), which is the earnest (the pledge) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. NIrV—When you believed, he marked you with a seal. The seal is the Holy Spirit that he promised.
I Peter 1:3-6—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope (a living hope) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept (guarded) by the power (dunamis, the enabling, miracle working power) of God through faith (which is put into operation in you as you believe) unto (a) salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (the last season of this age). Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (different kinds of trials)... NIrV—Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a hope that is alive. It is alive because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. It is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you. Through faith you are kept safe by God's power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days. Because you know this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble.
LORD, here I am, just to wait on You today. Please keep me still before You ,till I can hear the voice of Your Spirit, calling me onward toward knowing You fully. Oh, train the eyes of my heart to see You! Place in me that confidence, born of Your Spirit that will keep me in Your purpose.
Teach me Lord to wait.—Exodus 14:13; Isaiah 40:31
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