READ Ephesians 1:15-18

Part of God's plan for us as believers is that we would grow daily in our knowledge of Him.  The Apostle Peter stated in 2 Peter 3:18, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...."  He was, and is, the Apostle Peter's Lord, He is my Lord, and He is Your Lord.  Listen to the words of Paul in today's reading about growing in Him:  "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17That 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: 18The 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."

It is easy to get distracted in life, and that is why it is vitally important that the believer not lose sight of his one great goal: that of knowing God, of knowing Him personally, of growing in the knowledge of Him more and more.

Paul had just declared the eternal plan of God for the world (Ephesians 1:3-14). It is crucial that believers come to know the God of this plan in the most personal and intimate sense. It is essential that believers grow more and more in the knowledge of God, and that the world comes to know God as their personal Savior.  

vs. 15 - Upon hearing of their “faith in the Lord Jesus” and their “love unto all the saints,” it became the basis of Paul’s thanks. Two major spiritual virtues are noted. (1) The Ephesian church had placed their faith in the Lord Jesus and (2) they had manifested an evident love for all other believers. As Jesus noted in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” That evident love was a clear testimony of their relationship to Christ.  Not one person will ever grow in personal knowledge of God without first being born again.  You must place faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, then the growing can begin.

vs. 16 - Paul stated, I "Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers."  Insight into Paul’s prayer life is gained. One thing is for sure. He prayed often, with much thanks for other believers. That is evidence of spiritual maturity on Paul's part.

vs. 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." The Apostle continued giving further insight of his prayer for the Ephesian church. Specifically, he prayed regarding “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.” Of interest is Paul’s reference to God as (1) being the God of the Lord Jesus Christ and also (2) the Father of glory. What a beautiful description of our heavenly Father. Of further note is the purposeful title, the “Lord Jesus Christ.” Though any one of those three words might adequately describe God’s Son, the three together form a completed title. He is Lord. He is Savior as the name Jesus denotes. And, He is King as the title Christ implies. His request for his Ephesian brethren was that God “may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” The thought is simple. Paul prayed that God would give them not only a spirit of wisdom, but also a spirit of understanding in the knowledge of Him. That need remains for God’s people to this hour. Growing, and growing, and more growing!

vs. 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."  Continuing, the Apostle requested that the “eyes of their understanding might be enlightened.” The word translated as "understanding" in its most frequent usage refers to the mind. Thus, he used an eloquent metaphor of the eyes of our mind being enlightened. The idea is of having light on our minds regarding understanding the things of God. Specifically, he prayed that they might have enlightened understanding of (1) “the hope of His calling.”  The latter likely refers to the great hope we have as Christians. “His calling” likely refers to the greater matter of being a Christian. Thus, he prayed that they (and we) might have full understanding of the great hope included therein.  (2) He also prayed that they might understand “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Similar in nature to the first, he here embellishes further that they and we might understand the wealth and glory of our coming inheritance.

I pray you and I will grow in grace and in knowledge of God on a daily basis.

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1.  Have you placed faith and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation? Describe.

2. What practical things can you do to improve your testimony of faith and love?

3.  Why do you think that some Christians lack knowledge of the God of the Bible?  What kind of false picture do they have of God?

4.  What are you told to do in order to know God?

5.  How can you continue to improve your knowledge of God?

6.  What are the results of knowing God?

7.  Why is it important for you to know God?

8.  Do you think it's possible to know everything about God in your lifetime? Explain.