Eyes of Our Heart
How often have some waited for a sign of hope?
How often have some wished for a plate a little less empty?
How often have some longed for that powerful friend and comforter?
I am reminded through Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus that Hope, Inheritance, and Power are before us if we simply open the eyes of our hearts.
This is at the heart of our Christian life; living, not surviving. Chan also remarked in the same book that it's difficult to say He is our Comforter if we're always comfortable. The Christian life is indeed not marked by comfort, but it certainly is marked by joy. So often we have this idea that joy is lost or transactioned in exchange for suffering and sacrifice.
When I read His Word I see sacrificial living, not joyless living.
I pray that our hearts can be opened, so that through sacrifice, we can experience His immeasurable joy in our daily living. Through an open and enlightened heart, we can find our Hope, trust in our inheritance, and rest in His powerful arms.
And enjoy the song ... and smile ... :)
His,
~Matt
How often have some wished for a plate a little less empty?
How often have some longed for that powerful friend and comforter?
I am reminded through Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus that Hope, Inheritance, and Power are before us if we simply open the eyes of our hearts.
"having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might" (Ephesians 1:18-19 ESV)“I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said its better for us that the Spirit came and I want to live like that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.” - Francis Chan, Forgotten God
This is at the heart of our Christian life; living, not surviving. Chan also remarked in the same book that it's difficult to say He is our Comforter if we're always comfortable. The Christian life is indeed not marked by comfort, but it certainly is marked by joy. So often we have this idea that joy is lost or transactioned in exchange for suffering and sacrifice.
When I read His Word I see sacrificial living, not joyless living.
I pray that our hearts can be opened, so that through sacrifice, we can experience His immeasurable joy in our daily living. Through an open and enlightened heart, we can find our Hope, trust in our inheritance, and rest in His powerful arms.
And enjoy the song ... and smile ... :)
His,
~Matt
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