Ephesians: Riches

Are You Rich in Jesus?

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:15-23 (NIV¹)

Paul’s words in this letter were read aloud in the church at Ephesus. They heard Paul talking about them in affirming and encouraging words and praying for them. He prayed they would be granted understanding to know God better; that they would know the rich inheritance God promises, the power God wields, and the hope they are called to hold. Paul told them that God’s power was far beyond anything they knew in Ephesus, Rome, or beyond. God had placed Christ in authority over everything.

We are accustomed to living in a mostly-Christian culture. It is only recently that we have started to call our society “post-Christian” and worry that we might not be in the mainstream of society any longer. We also don’t get personal messages delivered to us like this, either in content or style.

The message of God’s great gift to his people is one that spans both our cultures. As we come to understand God better, we are able to see his desire to bless his people. He has gone to great lengths to guarantee this and is well able to do so. The idea that God desires and is able to give gifts to his people is a common thread through the Bible. From the creation in Eden to the exodus from Egypt and Babylon, we read of God’s desire for his people.

We don’t all face the challenge of a hostile state, but we are prone to forget God’s promise as we deal with our routine challenges. We complain, at least to ourselves, about our problems. We might be helped by recalling that God has promised us a “glorious inheritance” and has called us to be people of hope. We know he is able to fulfill his promise to us, nothing in this present age or in the one to come can stop him

1. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ↩︎