Ephesians 1:18-19, 22-23 – “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe…22 He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
For the church to be the church it must fully belong to Jesus Christ. Christ is to be the authority over every aspect of it. He is the head, meaning: His thoughts, His Spirit, His will is what matters. The members of the church are His body meaning they belong to one another and compliment one another in putting hands and feet to Christ’s will and desires. All the power of God is behind those who are open to being led by, and conformed to, the head. For this calling of the church to come to pass, the eyes of our hearts must be enlightened to the hope that comes with this calling and the riches of the inheritance for those who agree to it. We will otherwise settle for pursuing the temporary values, priorities, and rewards of this world.
To be practical, we are called by Christ to be devoted to one another in love; not lagging in diligence but rather fervent in spirit serving one another, concerned for each other’s welfare, as unto the Lord Himself (Rom. 12:10-13; Phil. 2:20-21). What are you most concerned about? What causes you to be fervent in spirit? Is it Christ’s interests? May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened to what will end in a rich inheritance as opposed to the temporary acclaims and rewards of this world. May we never prioritize and be more devoted to anything more than God’s people so that we can be a part of fulfilling a picture of who Christ is to this world.