EPHESIANS 1:
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, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
| DAY 5—Hope That Is Laid up for Us in Heaven |
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The mystery concerning this heavenly hope, is also a certainty born in our hearts with regard to a hope that is yet to be known. However, it can come to those who know the grace of God in truth.
Colossians 1:3-6—We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven whereof ye heard before in the Word of the Truth of the Gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew (acknowledged) the grace of God in Truth.What we have in this passage are five factors that comprise the salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus that become ours to embrace in our hearts. They all enfold the reconciliation that has become ours because of the propitiation brought about by the Lord Jesus Who died on our behalf.
It begins with the faith in Christ Jesus. This brings the immediate result of love, which we have for others of like faith. This is followed by an assurance of hope that we now have a place in heaven. The foundation of all this is the grace by which we are saved and which is supplied by the Lord God. Then, there is this factor that binds them all together, and without which none of the others could be certain. That is the Truth that has brought the Word of salvation to us.
How do we know what we receive is truth? We can know what we receive is truth if the faith, hope and love—these three—become ours in the instant of salvation. Their absence should cause us to wonder whether or not we have received the grace of God in truth, or not.
DEAR FATHER, send Your Spirit through all my heart and soul to place me through a spiritual checkup. If any one of the three—faith, hope or love—are lacking, please renew the work of grace in me that will restore them all. Let me be a person in Your Kingdom in whom they are all at work.
The Spiritual Checkup Chapter—I Corinthians 13:1-13
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