THE VERSE
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and 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.~Ephesians 1:16-18
THE THOUGHT
The fundamental struggle in the Christian life is not first and foremost a fight to be holy, or to share the gospel, or to change the world. The most basic struggle in the Christian life is a fight to SEE, to have "the eyes of your heart enlightened," to see Jesus for who He is. Having the eyes of your heart opened allows you to comprehend the hope to which He has called you, the glorious inheritance of the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. Seeing Christ with the eyes of your heart means to grasp more and more of His beauty and power and glory in a way that transforms your mind, enlarges your heart, and rearranges your values in a way that actually changes the way you live.Therefore, every other goal in the Christian life-- holiness, honoring God, living a life of love, etc-- all come back to this basic drive: we must see God for who He is. 2 Corinthians 4 lays out the basic difference between unregenerate unbelievers and redeemed Christians: "The god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from SEEING the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ... But God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
2 Corinthians 3 explains the result of a seeing Jesus with the eyes of your heart: "Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." Beholding is becoming; to see Him is to become like Him. The fight to see Jesus' glory results in transformation into His likeness. This process of transformation will finally be complete when we no longer see through a sin-stained mirror dimly, but finally see face to face. 1 John 3 gives us the glorious promise of completed sanctification: "We know that when He appears we shall be like Him, BECAUSE we shall see Him as He is." Beholding is becoming; therefore, make it your life's goal to see and savor Jesus Christ ever more deeply.
THE PRAYER
Holy Spirit, Open the eyes of my heart, so that I can better know the hope to which I have been called. I want to see Jesus; I want to know Him better and love Him more dearly and be more staggered by the glory of His holiness and love. Transform me from one degree of glory to another as You open my eyes to behold His glory, until that day when I shall finally be like Him because I see Him as He is.EXTENDED READING
2 Corinthians 3:17-4:6Ephesians 1:15-20
1 John 3:1-3
THE QUOTE
"There is nothing we can lose on earth that can rob us of the treasures God has given us and will give us." ~The Landisfarne
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