Ephesians 1:18-19 (NASB): "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, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe..."

We know that unless God enlightens the eyes of our heart, we will never arrive at the hope of our CALLING in Christ, nor will we have any comprehension of the riches of His goodness towards us....

Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Worldy hope is just a kind of wish.

Whenever we see hope in the bible, it means there is an expectation. According to Mark 11:24, when we pray, we should believe we receive.

We should expect -- not just desire -- that those things come to pass. You can have a truckload of desire and no expectation.

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"Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!" John 11:33-36

Whatever else you may be battling, however, you are hurting, imagine Jesus weeping a tear over you, with you, though not a tear of final mourning, but a tear of love and life that speaks of His resurrection...

In Ephesians 5 Paul is speaking about redeeming the time. We need to come to understand our Christ identity in order to experience the true freedom that is ours in Christ.

Ephesians 5:8-11 says, "You were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light... Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. All things are exposed, therefore, awake."

This is a call to revival and resurrection. Rise up out of apathy and complacency....

Acts 20:24 - "None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself."

It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision, without a calling, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide.

That attitude choses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not...