Daily Bible Reading 20th September 2024 // Ephesians 1:15-22
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked 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 one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
We shall now consider in some detail the apostolic prayer, phrase by phrase. First of all, 'the hope of his calling'. To what are we called in the calling of God? We are called, first of all, to fellowship, to be with Him, to walk in fellowship with His risen Son (cf Mark 3:14), Who will one day sum up in Himself all things in heaven and in earth. To think that such a One as He should desire the fellowship of our poor hearts! Then, we are called to holiness, as is indicated in 1:4. Nothing less than conformity to the image of God's Son. This is the prospect and hope of His calling - not merely that we should be forgiven, but that we should be conformed to His image. Then, we are called to fruitfulness of life (cf John 15:16), and that our lives should tell in the world for Him. Is this hope being realised in us? And, best of all, we are called to His eternal glory - to the unimagined responsibilities of the world to come, for which all else in this life is preparatory! And why is it so important that we should know all this? Because hope is an anchor (Hebrews 6:19) to keep us steady amid all the storms of life; and hope is an armour (1 Thessalonians 5:8) to protect us against the onslaughts of the enemy. With the 'hope' burning brightly in our hearts we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5). Such are the implications of the phrase 'the hope of His calling'.