Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
April 3, 2010
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ...the
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is
the hope of His calling. (Ephesians 1:3, 18)
We have seen that all the grace resources God has for us to live by
here on earth are already ours "in Christ." Now, our need is to have
these comprehensive spiritual treasures revealed to us by the Lord
Himself: "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you
may know what is the hope of His calling." In order to draw upon these
heavenly provisions, we need the Lord to enlighten our understanding
concerning what is ours in Christ Jesus. "Eye has not seen, nor ear
heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has
prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us
through His Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). As the Holy Spirit uses the
word of God to reveal these matters to us, our faith develops so we
might access them by faith. "So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
The Scriptures teach us to pray for such spiritual enlightenment. "Open
my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18).
In the word of God, we are told of the wonderful things that God has
for His people. If we prayerfully seek the Lord concerning His insight
into these blessings, the Lord will enlighten us. His willingness to
respond is evident in His word. "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and
show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah
33:3).
The Lord delights to give heavenly spiritual insight to the humble of
heart, not to those who trust in their own wisdom and prudence. "In
that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I praise You, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the
wise and prudent and revealed them to babes'" (Luke 10:21). This
picture of spiritual children humbly trusting in the Heavenly Father to
reveal His ways fits perfectly God's pattern for living by grace. This
pattern is humility and faith.
What God has given us in Christ are His grace resources. It takes grace
at work for us to even see what is ours in Him. God gives grace to the
humble (James 4:6), and faith accesses grace (Romans 5:2).
Dear Lord, fountain of every heavenly blessing, I humble myself before
You. On my own, I could never discover the richness You have given me
in Christ. Please enlighten me by Your Spirit, as I search Your
Scriptures. Build my faith to draw upon Your grace resources day by
day, through Christ I pray, Amen.
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