ESOCS Devotional 17 October 2022
TEXT: EPHESIANS 1:15-23
MEMORY VERSE: “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…”Ephesians 1:17 & 18
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
In this passage, the Bible tells us about the Christians in the Ephesian church. From the account of St Paul, they had faith in Christ Jesus and loved the brethren. Thus they were born again and lived in love. They were a part of the body of Christ and had received the Holy Ghost. But they obviously had not attained the ultimate Christian experience. And St Paul indicates that as where Christians should be. In this passage of scripture, he shows that there is need for believers to understand our relationship with Christ, to know Him personally, have a daily experience of His divine power and live the life God has called us to live in Him. For one may be a Christian and yet live sub-optimally, experiencing defeats in carnal and spiritual things.
The ingredients of this prayer are a pointer to what believers should press towards. He prayed:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in other that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparable great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one that is to come.”(NIV)
This prayer sums up the great life that God has called believers to live, the extent of spiritual height the believer can reach, and the spiritual greatness that can be his. This great life in Christ Jesus is available to all Christians. A few things will be needful to attain this level of Christian living:
- A life of daily study of the word of God.
- A life that is devoted to Him and to doing His good pleasure.
- Daily coming into His presence.
- A daily life of praise, worship, and prayers.
CHALLENGES
- What is your assessment of your closeness to God?
- Write down what you consider as draw backs to your Christian life.
PRAYERS
- Father, grant that we may know you as we should and that we may become all we should in you. Amen.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 17 October 2022
