Paul uses an obscure term “… eyes of your heart …” in Ephesians 1: 18 (CSB). At first glance, it may seem confusing. This daily devotional discusses what eyes of your hearts means and how we can use it to seek God.
Nuggets
- God uses the insights that He puts in our hearts through our observations so we can use that, rather than our own understanding, to determine what He is telling us.
- God calls all of mankind; however, not all of mankind accept God’s gift of salvation.
- All who are chosen because they have chosen to accept the gift of salvation receive the eternal blessings.
Devotions in the The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians series
We said in What Is the Spirit of Wisdom? that Ephesians 1: 18 was part of this long run-on sentence. (Paul was good at that. I think he squirreled while he was thinking a thought and took the scenic route and back.)
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Besides the twists and turns of the sentence, Paul uses — to us — a funny expression. He talks about the eyes of the heart. What in the world is he talking about?
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Eyes of Our Hearts
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1: 18 CSB)
Let’s think about the heart first. Since the heart is at the center of our chest, many times we think of it as our center.
In a previous devotion, we said that God’s peace, mercy and love are at our center. Those three prongs make a strong foundation.
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If we put that devotion and this one together, we say that God’s peace, mercy, and love are at our center, which is our heart.
Our eyes see things. We use them to observe.
But don’t we also say that the eyes are the windows to our hearts? That means if you look into someone’s eyes, you can sometimes see what they are thinking and feeling.
Let’s take it another way. What if it means we have to believe something in our hearts rather than understand it with our minds?
When I think about opening the eyes of my heart to God, I think — first of all — I am never going to fully understand. We are told to “trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3: 5 ESV).
God is Creator and so far above me that there is no way I am going to fully understand the how and why of everything. He is God, and I am not.
But God wants me to understand what He reveals to me. He is going to reveal things to me a little at a time.
God opens the eyes of our heart when we say we don’t have to fully understand it all. We acknowledge that we just have to trust Him.
Because that is what it is all about. If we say we have to understand it, we aren’t really trusting Him to be God. We are putting ourselves on His level. We aren’t.
We have to believe in God enough to say it may not make sense to us, but we can worship Him as the Creator of the Sovereign God. He deserves our praise.
This is how God sanctifies us. It is how he changes us.
What if we open the eyes of our hearts to see the insights that God has put in them? We “see” them when we meditate on what God is telling us.
Let me try summing that up. God uses the insights that He puts in our hearts through our observations so we can use that, rather than our own understanding, to determine what He is telling us.
We’ve got to make sure Satan doesn’t try to close our eyes. He is going to try to put clouds and blinders in our way – anything to get us to not see what God wants us to see.
Hope in Our Hearts
“… that you may know what is the hope of His calling …” (Eph. 1: 18 ESV).
The middle part of verse 18 says that there is “… the hope of His calling …” (Eph. 1: 18 ESV). Hope is the expectation, also called a living hope, based on the confidence that, because of our relationship with God, our names will be found in the book of life.
It also says we are called. This term is probably tied in with a previous devotion. We said that God elected us to be saints.
Saint means holy one who has been set apart.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Glossary
That is our calling. God calls all mankind.
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa. 55: 1 ESV emphasis added). We are all thirsty because everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s saving Presence (Rom. 3: 23). If we are not drinking from the well of living water, we are still thirsty (Jn. 4: 10).
However, not all mankind accept God’s gift of salvation.
Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
Even though He comes personally through the Holy Spirit, some still chose not to ask Jesus to be their Redeemer and Savior and God to be their Sovereign God.
Let’s read that section of the verse again a second. “… the hope of His calling. …” (Eph. 1: 18 ESV). So, hope is where we desire for something that we believe is obtainable. To me, that reads we desire that to which He has called us, believing it is obtainable.
Inheritance in the Saints
“… what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1: 18 RSV).
We previously talked about what our inheritance from God was. Three specific rewards that are mentioned are the Holy Spirit, eternal life, and the kingdom.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Hebrews 9: 15 says, “Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God’s eternal blessings!” (CEV). The Holman Christian Standard Bible says, “… so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance …” (Heb. 9: 15 HCSB).
All who are chosen are chosen because they have chosen to accept the gift of salvation receive the eternal blessings.
Making the Connections
Our eyes are the gateway to our hearts. We have to open our eyes to see the opportunities of learning about God. We have to use our eyes to read and study His Word.
That is taking “open the eyes of my heart” literally. What if it is also figuratively? We have to be observant. Even though we are reading the printed word, we may not be really observing all that it has to tell us.
We have to be observant when other disciples talk with us. What are they saying to us that is really God talking to us?
When we are just sitting there with our minds squirreling, what is God saying to us in all that chaos? He will talk with us through the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s look at it this way, too. What do we need to see? Light. Who is the Light of the world? Jesus. We need Jesus to make sure we want to be observant. He need the Holy Spirit to guide us while we are observing and meditating on what we have observed.
But then let’s take it a step further. When we see through the eyes of our hearts and seek the insights from God, Who already lives at our core? Jesus.
Through the Light of Jesus, we have our hope increased. We believe – even those things that seem impossible.
How Do We Apply This?
We apply this by surrendering our will to God so that we can be observant to what He is telling us. We have to keep the eyes of our hearts open to Him.
Let me repeat myself here. When we see through the eyes of our hearts and seek the insights from God, Who already lives at our core, through the Light of Jesus, we have our hope increased. We believe – even those things that seem impossible. That gives us assurance.
So, use the eyes of your hearts today to gain insight into what God is telling you. Let the Light of Jesus shine in you so you can clearly what He is telling you.
Father God. You come to us in so many ways, urging us to accept Your gift of salvation. Help us to want to reach out and grab it. Lord, as we seek You, Light the core of our beings where You reside in us so that we can use the eyes of our hearts to see whatever You would have us see. Amen.
What do you think?
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