WE MUST SPEND another day on “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 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” (Eph. 1:17–18). This verse says that “the eyes of your heart” being enlightened you may know. One would have thought that Paul would have said “the eyes of your mind,” for he had just talked about wisdom and revelation. Do we see with the heart? Yes, perhaps the only real seeing is with the heart. A loveless knowledge is blind.
Atomic energy scientists saw only with the mind and produced the horrible monster, the atomic bomb. It was loveless knowledge and has led us to the edge of a precipice. Only as we see with the heart the possibility that atomic energy might be used for the raising of the level of life for everybody will this knowledge become wisdom.
Two things come out of this heart knowledge—“you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.” You know the amazing sweep of this redemption—you see what is being done in and for us, and it gives us a great hope. This is what we get out of it all. The other thing is what God gets out of it—“what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” His glorious inheritance in the saints. Of all things! I thought God was getting trouble and more trouble out of this process of redemption. Look what He has to put up with—even in the saints! But here it says that God is getting a glorious inheritance in the saints! Is that exaggeration? No! A mother and father think when a child is growing up that they didn’t get much in a child except trouble and more trouble. The years come and go, however, and that troublesome boy becomes a great man and a great servant of humanity. The riches of their inheritance is that boy! God will look at us some day and say, “Well, I took a lot of trouble with him, but look at him now. I’m rich in such an inheritance.”
O God, my Father, is it possible that Thou canst be rich in me, that I can bring Thee something Thou didst not have before? This humbles me and sends me to the highest heaven. Glorious inheritance? Then fill me with Thy glory. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I shall not be God’s problem—I shall be His person.
