Open The Eyes Of Our Hearts

Ephesians 1:15 – 23:  I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[a] toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God[b] put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

OPEN THE EYES OF OUR HEARTS (May 24, 2020)

Text: Ephesians 1:15 -23

There is the story about a Biblical scholar who was at his friend’s house. His friend wanted to show off his telescope. At first, Nicholas Thomas Wright used his own binoculars to scan the horizon. He spotted a couple of ships going by. When he switched to his friend’s telescope he was amazed to those two ships and beyond. He could see the names on the sides of the two ships not to mention the people walking to and from the dock. He was able to see with sharper and clearer vision other military and commercial ships of varying sizes beyond those first two ships he spotted. Obviously, the telescope was much more powerful. (N. T. Wright. Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002, pp. 14- 15). Paul spoke about the “eyes of the heart” being opened for all believers. How do we see God’s working in our lives? Do we have enough of God’s light in our lives to see His call on our lives? Do we have faith, and enlightenment, hope and power only as far as the eye can see?

FAITH

What does your faith mean to you amid the coronavirus crisis?

1) Lenses matter: When it comes to having faith, the lenses we use matter. We live in a world where people are bound by the limits of what they can see with their physical sight. “Author James W. Moore tells a wonderful story that appeared in an Atlanta newspaper some years back. A young mother was trying to get her young son to take some liquid medicine. The little fellow was being stubborn as only a child can. He closed his mouth as tightly as he could, shook his head furiously from side to side and even hit at the spoon with both hands. He was not going to take the medicine. The young mother tried everything. She pleaded, she begged, she threatened--all to no avail. Finally she couldn’t take it any longer. She threw down the spoon herself, and fled from the room. Reaching her bedroom she flung herself across the bed and broke down in tears of frustration and helplessness. >>>>>>>>> In a few minutes she heard the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. Curious about what was happening, she wiped the tears from her eyes and made her way in the direction of the mirth. She discovered that her mother had solved the problem. She had mixed orange juice with the medicine and put the concoction in a water pistol and was squirting into the mouth of her delighted grandson. (James w. Moore. Seizing the Moments. Nashville: Dimensions for Living, 2001, p. 47). Like this grandmother, God gives us a new way to look at things. Paul tells us that Christians learn to walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).

2) Dust covers: Our enemy the devil, aka Satan, uses the dustcover effect on people that he has blinded to the truth.

Have you ever taken pictures with the old style camera only to discover you left the dust cap on? I knew of a man who did that while he was on vacation after he had used a whole role of film. He got mad and threw the lens cap in the bay. Paul describes the dust-cover effect like this: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  (4)  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Darkness hates the light which why Satan would prefer to keep people in the dark. Even the coronavirus cannot squelch the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!