This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Ephesians 1:17 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.
“I don’t think they know how good they have it.”
This phrase may run through the mind of a parent as a child is making a fuss at not having the cookie they wanted. A child has a small perspective on life and often the perspective of life and experience lead them later to better realize all that their parents had done for them and provided for them. I would say that appreciation for my parents is far greater than it was when I was little and growing up.
The Apostle Paul, I think, has a similar view of the Ephesian Christians who were “infants” in their faith and relationship with the Lord. Paul knew how amazing it was to call God his Father and to know so personally his love, his grace, and his forgiveness. He had grown through his conversion, his training, his ministry and mission to better understand the wisdom and revelation of God and its eternal impact.
He wanted the same for the Ephesians.
The Spirit wants the same for us!
Paul’s prayer is not a “one and done.” it is a prayer he keeps praying for the believers that the Father would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation – for one purpose: to know him better.
This perspective is not surprising, but maybe it’s emphasis is unique and important.
Often the word of God which is the revelation of God and communicates the wisdom of God is view as the “self-help” book that is there to simply guide our Christian life with rules and directions that make us a “good Christian.” To be sure, it definitely is a guide for our Christian life. However, the Christian life is merely an outward expression of morality unless our heart is shaped by knowing the heart of God. The more we get to know about God, the more love for God increases. The more love for God increases, the more the expression of that love increases.
For example, Paul wrote of the wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians 1:21 Indeed, since the world through its wisdom did not know God, God in his wisdom decided to save those who believe, through the foolishness of the preached message. The wisdom of the world puts our relationship with God in a “I do…I get” mentality. If I do enough good before God, God gives me heaven. That is the world’s wisdom that really only leaves us with doubt and despair of our relationship with God. There is no certainty in our performance. So the wisdom of God reveals to us that God is willing to do what we cannot and communicate it as a gift of grace through the “preached message.” Our relationship with God is not secured by our performance, but by God’s decision and doing to save us.
How does this lead me to know God better? I realize while he is a God of justice, he is deeply a God of love who was willing to sacrifice his own Son on my behalf. He is willing to love the unlovable and give grace to those who never would deserve it.
This is what Paul wants us all to grasp even more.
Keep praying for yourself and fellow believers that the Father would give to you his Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better, and better, and better!
Apply: Add this prayer to your daily prayers. Add time in the word to your daily routine. See what you discover about your Father and his heart for you over the next 30 days.
Prayer: Father, we keep praying and we ask you to give us your Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know you better and better. AMEN.