Hope of His Calling, Strength of His Might

[S] Ephesians 1:18-21 --

¹⁸I 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,

¹⁹and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

²⁰which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

[O] I am especially saddened by two local high schoolers ending their lives in the same place, same method just a month from each other; and just last night another student attempted but was averted by his mother. My prayers are reaching out to these two families and further I cannot stop asking the question of, "Was there any way we could've prevented these?" And further, "How can we care and mentor these young, bright, and full-of-hope youngsters to save themselves from taking the wrong turn?" Today's passage reminded me of how our lives can thrive by being called to certain purposes. When I was little, at times I would be one of the last ones to be picked when forming teams and that can weigh you down because you were not "called" by anyone. Later in high school, though, I was not only playing on the varsity soccer team but was called to be the team captain as well as the MVP of the year. That brought great boost to my outlook in life and even considered to play soccer professionally. God has the Hope of His calling for all of us in order to provide the strength of His might in our lives every day.

[A] Emphasize to my children that no matter what happens in life, nothing is higher than the Hope of His calling for their lives to be His ministers to other people.

[P] Dear God, please minister to the families who lost their loved children in recent weeks. I pray that Your comfort and the bearers of Your love may make a visit in their lives to bring healing and hope in the midst of these desperate times. Please continue to nurture our family with Your Hope of Calling and fill us with Your mighty strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.