Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
Ephesians 1:15-18 NKJV
Ephesians 1:11 NKJV
From the Beginning
There have been times in my life when I’ve been knocked down and overwhelmed by The power and nature of God’s power.
There have also been times when I am totally baffled by what God has done or is doing. We don’t always see God’s intention until after the fact.
We have to trust that God is God and He knows what He’s doing.
When I am baffled I say Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
I was baffled by what Paul wrote, plus I’ve read it many times before and I must have been baffled by his words and I hadn’t stopped long enough to really connect to it.
One of the things about scripture is that we must PAUSE.
I started studying Ephesians 1:15-23 days ago in order to write a lesson about God’s Omnipotent Power.
As I said, at first I wasn’t sure what Paul was saying. The scripture portion appears to be one long run on sentence.
Ephesians 1:15-18, “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease 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 to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
I broke it down because I needed to see the segments.
In verses 15-16 Paul says he heard about the faith of the believers in Ephesus and their love for all believers. Paul goes on the say he is thankful for them and he prayed for them.
In verse 17-18 he begins listing all of the things he prayed for them.
-May God give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him
-May God give the eyes of your understanding being enlightened
-May you know what is the hope of His calling
-May you know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
Every prayer that Paul prayed for the church was for them, but it was also for us today. That prayer still stands for all believers then and now.
Paul asked that we would be given wisdom and knowledge of God and His Son.
Paul asked that we would have understanding and would be enlightened.
The Apostle Paul wanted us to know there was real and lasting meaning in the hope of God’s calling.
He wanted us to know about the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance of the saints.
So, in Ephesians 1:11, just prior to this passage, Paul wrote, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance.” So, Paul acknowledged WE have an inheritance of God and now in verse 18 Paul says there are riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in US.
When I looked up the word used in Ephesians 1:11 and Ephesians 1:18 the same word in
English.
According to the Oxford Languages dictionary in English an inheritance means a birthright, a legacy, or an acquisition of a trait or condition.
When we look at the words from the original language (Koine Greek) the word in verse 11 of Chapter 1 is eklerothemen which is translated we have obtained an inheritance. We are part of God.
We have a birthright in God.
We obtained God.
Ephesians 1:11 is only place in the entire New Testament the Greek word eklerothemen is used. God is our inheritance, our birthright.
In verse 18 the Greek word for inheritance is a different word, kleronomias. The meaning here is glory, reward, or eternal promise (the same word is used in Ephesians 1:18, Colossians 3:24, and Hebrews 9:15).
God obtained kleronomias (inheritance) which Paul says is “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” So, God obtained us as His glory, a reward, an eternal promise.
By that meaning, God considers us His glory. God thinks of us as His reward. God embraces us as His eternal promise.
The same word in English, inheritance has a different Greek word in verse 11 and verse 18. When we inherit God we obtain a birthright. When God inherits us he obtains His glory, His reward and eternal promise.
That kind of blows me away.
It’s a game-changer.
When I think about it, I am reminded of when my children were born. They came to me with a birthright. They were part of my family. They were small and had growing to do. They didn’t know anything more than the fact that I was their Mom, their caregiver. It didn’t take long for them to recognize my face and know that I was the person who would feed them and give them a dry comfy diaper.
But, when I held them, they were my glory, my reward, my promise. They would always be my children. They were my pride he joy. They were my reward for carrying them for 9 months. I knew they would always be my children.
And so it is with God. We are His glory. He considers US His reward and eternal promise.
We will always be HIS.
in time we will learn what the birthright means.
From the Beginning God, Omnipotent Eternal God knew we belonged to Him. Even before we were conceived, we were His glory, His reward, His promise.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: The Inheritance
Consider your inheritance of the birthright in God to God’s great love for you who considers you His glory, His reward, and His eternal promise.
In God, Deborah
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