Hope Harbor

  Praying for God’s People (part 2 ) “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 that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:17-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.17-20.niv In my previous post I wrote about the value and importance of prayer. I pointed out that Paul encouraged decisions by telling them he prays for them and is thankful for them. He also said that he prays continually. In addition, he reminded them and us, that he was bringing those players on their behalf to our good good father. In this blog...

  Praying for God’s People (part 1) “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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 that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:16-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.16-19.niv As I continue through chapter 1 of Ephesians my heart was touched that Paul for those believers. I found this passage instructive regarding the value of prayer and how we can pray for others. Tell them Paul made a point in his letter to tell those to whom he was reading that he was praying for them. It is    encouraging to hear that someone cares enough about yo...

  Hope in Christ   “in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.12.niv .  Paul reminds the believers in Ephesus that they were the first to put their hope in Christ. When I read that my heart was stirred with a renewed desire to be one who clearly and securely has my hope in Christ.  Hope is essential and where we place our hope is vital.  God in His Word offers to us a great deal of instruction and encouragement regarding hope.  “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/rom.15.4.niv God wants to give us hope. He intends only for our good.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,...

  Faîthful in Christ     If you have been following my blog recently, you know that I have been pondering the book of Ephesians. I have been commenting on verses or portions of this letter they have touched my heart. It had been a sequential review of what I have read so far. You may have been expecting that I would continue onto the next section. Honestly, so was I. However when I opened to chapter 1 of Ephesians one recent morning I was particularly struck by to whom the letter was written. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:” ‭‭ Ephesians‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.1.niv  I will share some thoughts about the believers in Ephesus and their honorable attributes.  Paul addressed    those to whom he was writing as God’s holy people.    They were identified as  belonging to God . They were his possession. “See what great love the Fathe...

  Our Inheritance is Guaranteed “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.13-14.niv The apostle Paul reminds the early believers, and us, that we are included in Christ. He goes on to remind us that when we believe the truth of the gospel we receive the deposit of the Holy Spirit.    Those who are God’s possession have Him - assurance that their inheritance is guaranteed.  When I signed the contract to purchase my home I was required to give earnest money. This what is two give confidence to the seller that guy was serious about buying the property and that I intended to follow through with the transaction. At the time of closing t...

  Chosen “In him we were also  chosen,  having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.11.niv As I continue to read the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, today I was struck with the idea that we have been chosen. It Is wonderful to be chosen. It is special to feel wanted. We all probably have had the experience of anxiously waiting to see if we we would be picked for the team in a sporting event or academic competition. We may have had the thrill of being selected or the sense of dejection that comes from being left out.  One personal example of feeling deeply hurt over not being chosen happened to me early in life when I was just a pre schooler. There is a song and a game for young children entitled The Farmer in the Dell. This game involves players choosing others. The website Quora.com describes it this way: “It is part...