DAY 1 –
JANUARY 9
TITLE: “OPEN
THE EYES OF MY HEART, LORD ”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18
Paul was
praying that the church would have an “Ah-ha” moment. He was praying that they
would really get it. Paul’s passion for the church was that this in-depth enlightenment
with God would impact them within. Paul wanted the church to have more than a
superficial religion. He knew that the church needed more than head knowledge.
The church needed heart knowledge.
Paul was
praying for something that would rock them from within and cut to the very core
of their hearts, creating a change. He was praying for something that would
affect the very fiber of their being. It is what is on the inside that really
counts.
God is able
to enlighten the heart. As Christians,
we are in constant need of the revelation of God’s light. Our need and
dependence upon God for light was powerfully expressed by Paul in his letter to
the church at Corinth. He wrote, “For
God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Christ.”
II
Corinthians 4:6
Paul was
praying that the eyes of our hearts would be opened to see God’s best for us. The
heart of Paul is for us to really know God’s heart for His people. God’s dream and desire for us is seen in a
heart that is surrendered to Him and filled with His light and spirit. He was
praying that the church would see with their affections, thoughts, will,
desires and passion.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, Open
the eyes of my heart
I want to see You, I want to see You
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, Open
the eyes of my heart
I want to see You, I want to see You
To see You high and lifted up, Shinin' in the
light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love, As we sing holy, holy, holy
Holy, Holy, Holy, We cry holy, holy,
holy
You are Holy, Holy, Holy, I want to see you
Holy, Holy, Holy Holy, Holy, Holy
You are Holy, Holy, Holy, I want to see you (Michael W. Smith)
DAY 2 –
JANUARY 10
TITLE:
“HOPE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18
On December
17, 1927, the Navy submarine, S-4 was conducting submerged trials off
Provincetown, Massachusetts. As the sub surfaced, a Coast Guard destroyer
accidently rammed her, penetrating the hull. The sub quickly began to take on
water and sank to the depth of 110 feet. The crew scrambled to find safety in
the non-flooded compartments. The 34 who had retreated to the rear, soon died.
However, the six men who ended up in the front of the ship remained alive. In
extremely cold water and tangled wreckage, Navy divers worked frantically to
rescue the survivors. An approaching storm made the situation even more tense-filled
and desperate.
Tapping on
the hull, divers were able to communicate with the survivors by Morse code.
With the oxygen supply dwindling, one diver placed his helmeted ear to the side
of the vessel and received this Morse-coded message: "Is ... there ... any
... hope?" Sadly, with no means of safely extracting those held captive in
the sub, all six men aboard the S-4 were doomed to die.
This tragedy
led to the development of the McCann Rescue Chamber, a large iron bell designed
to fit over a submarine’s hatch. With this new technology, the Navy would be
able to protect survivors from the surrounding water pressure while extricating
from a submerged vessel. Twelve years after the S-4 sank,
the Squalus was conducting test dives off the coast
of
We have been
called to hope. In scripture, hope is the absolute certainty of future good.
Hope in the Christian context is somewhat different than the hope of the world.
In the world, hope often is an intense, but uncertain desire. As one person said, “Probably nothing in the
world arouses more false hope than the first four hours of a diet.” All too often, hope is pessimistically
defined as the little boy did when he said, “Hope is wishing for something you
know ain’t gonna happen.”
For the Christian, hope is the strong confidence that God is going to do good
to us in the future. Hope is the fulfillment of God’s promises to us.
Regardless of the circumstances you are facing today, there is hope in Jesus.
Hebrews reminds us, “Now faith is being
sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1.
DAY
3 – JANUARY 11
TITLE:
“HIS INCOMPARABLY GREAT POWER”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 1:18-23
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 1:19
KEY
VERSE: “…and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is
like the working of his mighty strength,”
Ephesians 1:19
ABC
News International gave an interesting report. A lead-in question for the
report would be, “Do you want to be as strong as Godzilla? Eat Godzilla
Meat!” “Godzilla Meat—actually 3.5 ounces of corned beef from Tokyo toymaker
Takara Company—is packaged with pictures of the stomping, fire-breathing,
irradiated dinosaur made famous by movies that started coming out in the
1950’s. People can eat Godzilla and become energetic and powerful. ‘It’s
like Popeye and his can of spinach,’ said Takara spokeswoman, Yoko Watanabe.”
According to the report, there are no plans to bring Godzilla Meat to the US,
but the Japanese can look forward to other “power” meats like Godzilla Eggs (a
can of about 15 quail eggs) and Rodan Meat (canned
barbecued chicken named after the winged monster).
As
I read the article and comment about Popeye and his can of spinach, I recalled
watching many cartoons as a boy of Popeye having no strength to meet the
obstacle he was facing until he ate his can of spinach. The minute he ate the
can of spinach, he had the power and strength he needed with every incident.
God
is the God of incomparably great power. God’s power is always enough to face
whatever we are facing when we put our trust and faith in Him. A limited
understanding of His power can limit our faith and trust in Him. God has the
power to bring to pass whatever His infinite wisdom may direct. Paul was
speaking about this power to those who believe when he wrote, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his
energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:29.
God
is all-powerful. The angel proclaimed, ‘Nothing
is impossible with God’, Luke 1:37, when announcing Jesus would be born of
the Virgin Mary. When the rich man turned away from Jesus, the disciples asked,
“Who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26. The God of the Christian
faith is not a metaphysical abstraction, but a God who is personal. He is the
God who uses His power to act, speak, and become involved in man’s life. He lives to use His power in our lives. God’s
power is overwhelming in its adequacy. He is powerful enough to meet every need
of our lives. His power is greater than all of our needs. God is able to meet
our need for salvation and forgiveness. God is able to meet our need for grace
and mercy. God is able to meet our need for comfort and peace. God is able to
meet our need for contentment and council. God is able to meet our need for
deliverance and victory. God is able to meet our need for wisdom and guidance.
God is able to meet our need for strength and courage. The all-powerful God is
able to meet all your needs and mine.
DAY 4 –
JANUARY 12
TITLE:
“RESSURECTION POWER”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “…which he exerted in Christ when he raised
him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 1:20
The story of
Jesus does not end at the cross. Author, A.W. Tozer
said, “We understand and acknowledge that the Resurrection has placed a
glorious crown upon all of Christ's sufferings!” Had it ended at the cross,
there would be no Easter and no hope. Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is
your faith.” I Corinthians 15:14. Paul is quick to point out the reality of
the resurrection of Christ. In his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the
dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” I Corinthians
15:20. It has been said that if the
crucifixion of the Son of God was earth’s darkest hour, the morning of His
resurrection was eternity’s brightest. God raised Jesus from the dead because
God has that kind of power. God is the God of resurrection power.
The God who
has power to raise Jesus from the dead has the power to meet our needs. God has
the ability to raise one out of death into life. God has power that raises us
from sin and death, giving us victory over their influence. Paul wrote, “But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5. These
words, transgressions and sins, are all-encompassing phrases that describe the
lives of those who are spiritually dead. The message of God’s amazing love is
that God acted decisively in Christ to correct our sin situation through His
power. We have hope today because of resurrection power.
God not only
had the power to raise Him up but to seat Him at His right hand in the heavenly
realms. Later, in Ephesians, Paul wrote, “And
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in
Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6. The Lord lives in our lives, but He lives at
the right hand of God where he intercedes for us. Paul wrote to the Church of
Rome, “Who is he that condemns? Christ
Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to
life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans
8:34. God has the power and the position to meet our needs and intercede for
us. He is the God of resurrection power.
DAY
5 – JANUARY 13
TITLE:
“ABOVE ALL”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 1:18-23
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Ephesians 1:21-23
KEY
VERSE: “…far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title
that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
Ephesians
1:21
Paul
wrote to the Philippians, “Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11. Jesus is the name above all
names. God exalted Him far above all
rule and authority. In 1974, Naida Hearn wrote a
little chorus that expresses it well.
“Jesus, name above all names;
Beautiful Savior,
glorious Lord.
Emmanuel, God is with
us.
Blessed Redeemer,
Living word.”
When
Jesus gave the Great Commission, He first made this declaration. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me.” Matthew 28:18. Jesus has all dominion and authority. As Paul said in Ephesians 1:22, “And
God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over
everything for the church.” Peter pointed out the dominion of Christ
when he wrote, “…who has gone into heaven
and is at God’s right hand – with angels, authorities and powers in submission
to him.” I Peter 3:22.
In
Matthew, chapter 8, the story is recorded of a great storm that took place. The
scripture says it was a furious storm that came up on the lake. The word
“storm” here is, “sesmos,” which literally means
“earthquake or shaking”. In that basin, surrounded by high mountains, where
fierce downdrafts of air can take place, a sudden, violent storm came up on the
Sea of Galilee. This furious squall or cyclone was so strong that it was
causing a serious problem for the disciples. The severity of the storm was
implied in the fear seen even in veteran seamen such as Peter, Andrew, James,
and John, who assumed they were about to die.
The
good news was that Jesus was with them in the storm. In the midst of the storm,
they did not forget the Lord was with them. Being a Christian does not exempt
you from storms and troubles in life. However, you are never alone in the storm
when the Lord is with you.
Jesus
confronted them about their fear. He asked, “Do you still have no faith?” He
refers specifically to faith in God’s saving power, present in Jesus. The
Scripture tells us that Jesus got up and confronted the winds and the waves. He
muzzled the sea and it sank to rest as if exhausted by its own beating. Jesus
spoke with power and authority. In the storm, they discovered Jesus had the
power to handle the storm. Matthew 8:27 states, “The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the
winds and the waves obey him!’” Matthew 8:27. The storm revealed the
authority, power, and dominion of Jesus. He has the authority and power to
confront your storms today, for He is above all.