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Scripture • World English Bible
Ephesians 1:15–23
15For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and the love which you have toward all the saints,
16don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,
18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
20which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
22He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,
23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
World English Bible (WEB) • Public Domain
Reflection
Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15–23 is a pastoral map for growing in Christ. He begins by thanking God for the Ephesians’ faith and love, then he asks that God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation so their hearts’ eyes would be opened. That request points to something essential: Christian life is not merely moral effort or knowledge accumulation. It depends on God illuminating our inner vision so we see what he sees—our calling, our value, and the power at work for us.
First, Paul wants believers to know the hope of God’s calling. This hope is not vague optimism; it is a sure, forward-looking reality rooted in God’s purposes for us. When your heart is enlightened, hope becomes a horizon that shapes daily choices. It is the confidence that God’s calling is moving history toward good purposes for his people, and that your life is included in that movement.
Second, Paul highlights “the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” That surprising phrase flips common assumptions: we are not merely chasing an inheritance from God; we are God’s treasured inheritance—valued, glorious, and central to his plan. Seeing ourselves this way changes how we treat one another and how we live. If we are God’s inheritance, then the church is not a utility for personal gain but the beloved body in which Christ is glorified.
Third, Paul points to the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward believers—the very power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him at God’s right hand. Resurrection power is not an abstraction reserved for doctrine; it is the same operative strength available to believers for transformation, mission, and endurance. Christ’s reign “far above all rule, authority, power, dominion” assures us that nothing ultimately undermines his authority or our security in him. He is head over the church, and the church is his body—filled and filled by him.
Practical hope, a reoriented identity, and access to resurrection power together form the foundation of a stable Christian life. When trials erode confidence, remember the hope of your calling. When you are tempted to measure worth by achievements, remember you are God’s inheritance. When obstacles feel greater than your resources, remember the power that raised Christ is at work toward those who believe. Paul’s words are an invitation to pray for spiritual sight, so these truths move from doctrine into daily living.
Putting Faith Into Action
- Ask God to enlighten your heart each morning: pick one truth from Ephesians 1:18–19 (hope, inheritance, or power), pray briefly for insight, and write one practical way that truth will shape your day.
- Rehearse your identity in community: intentionally bless one person in your church this week (a note, a meal, a listening time) as an expression of seeing them as God’s inheritance, not merely a program participant.
- Access resurrection power in action: identify one fearful or stalled step of obedience (a conversation, a witness, a ministry task). Pray specifically for Christ’s power to enable you, then take that step relying on him rather than on your own strength.
Prayer
Father of glory, open the eyes of our hearts. Help us to know the hope you have called us to, to understand the value of being your inheritance, and to trust the exceeding greatness of the power at work for us who believe. Fill your church with boldness and love as we live under Christ our head. Amen.
Memory Verse
Ephesians 1:18 — having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (WEB)
“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,”
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Ephesians 1
World English Bible • WEB
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,
5having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
6to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.
7In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
8which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him.
11We were also assigned an inheritance in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will,
12to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ.
13In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
15For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and the love which you have toward all the saints,
16don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,
18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
20which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
22He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,
23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
World English Bible (WEB) • Public Domain