Confident in the Call

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ~ Ephesians 1:17-21

In this excerpt from the message from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Ephesus, he used the expression "the eyes of your heart" to represent an inner awareness, provided by the Holy Spirit, that comprehends everything God has made available to them. In the Bible, the "heart" is the center of thought, moral judgment, and feeling.

Listen to Paul’s words to his beloved, Timothy . . . “So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:8-10 (The Message))

He reminds Timothy and all of us that we can only keep on going by the power of God. We are called to place our hope in God’s power. What are your hopes depending on these days? But, he doesn’t stop with immediate needs and current circumstances, does he? Paul says our calling (to hope) is ongoing (1Th 2:12; 5:24); it looks to the future since it is attached to the "blessed hope" (Tit 2:13) of eternal glory. The Israelites who wandered in the wilderness were promised an inheritance on earth. The Body of Christ, the new Israel, is given an eternal inheritance of heaven – which, is becoming more present as each Christian submits to Christ’s Kingdom authority and will be as much a part of the earth as it is above when Christ returns. Can you recognize the "incomparably great power" of God in the Bible? If so, why not believe that the same incomparable power is with us today?

I am often perplexed and even frightened by current events and their implications. Like many of you, I wonder what kind of life my children and grandchildren will have as I see the things, I often take for granted becoming unreliable. Honestly, I even worry about my family’s security and my own. As our church family struggles with the total disruption of religious activities that were centered around a building I am tempted to wonder if my job will remain secure. I am tempted to worry about my credibility, usefulness, and significance. I too worry about government encroachment, the limiting of Christian’s liberties, and even persecution. I have fears about the spread of COVID-19, street violence, and anarchy sometimes too.

Then, I recall Paul’s words above. Don’t miss the fact that he wrote them from jail as he suffered all of the things I’ve just mentioned. As a pastor, I think I can safely assume that Paul feared the same sort of things that I do. I understand that his mission caused him to write and speak as the Spirit inspired him. Nevertheless, when he was isolated and estranged, he must have given in to human weakness. His story is peppered with hints of his humanity. He did not always make the best leadership decisions, but with the Spirit’s help, the mission was reconciled as God worked all things for His good and holy purposes.

Therefore, I remain confident in my calling and God’s immeasurable power and authority over all things. I trust that Lord Jesus appointed me to my role and its tasks because of His confidence in my “heart” for Him. I take comfort from the fact that my sufferings in this life are short-lived and utterly insignificant when weighed against the incomparability of eternal life with Christ. When I return to my worries, which occurs regularly, I consciously speak the truth in love to my soul. I counter feelings with facts. The truth of Scripture and its expression of God’s heart and mind is a fact for me. My feelings are temporary interpretations of my times and circumstances. They are apt to change as I acquire more information and self-awareness. I remember with Paul that it is, “in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)