27 May 2011
Ephesians 1:18
Ephesians 1:18: “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,”
As Christians, do we really believe that the Lord has blessed us with great riches and glory? There is no doubt that God has promised us this, but do we believe it? In this life it so often seems that the nice guy finishes last, and that the liars and thieves are the ones that amass great fortunes and power, which they use to oppress the weak. Meanwhile, the meek are robbed and assaulted and killed. Christians are the laughingstock of the world, and in countries all over the planet they are hunted down and killed – either by the state or by angry mobs.
Yet God tells us that we are rich; that we are destined for glory; that we are a race of kings; that one day we will inherit the world and delight ourselves in peace. The question is, do we believe the promise of God? Are we living by faith, or by what we can see?
In other words, do we really believe that we are going to live forever? Do we honestly believe that one day God will put a final end to all of the evil that is going on, and that we will live lives of peace? When the Lord says that our reward is great in Heaven, do we actually believe that? Or do we doubt?
Doubt is a deadly thing, for it robs us of the ability to be grateful. It’s hard to be thankful for something you’re not sure you’re ever going to get. Yet, God has always fulfilled every one of His promises. I am afraid, however, that it is all too easy for us to become distracted by our lives and lose sight of the amazing things that God has promised us.