Daily Bible Verses for 4/29/2017
Daily Verse(s)
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Reading Notes
In the original Greek verses fifteen through twenty three formed one long sentence. This was because Paul was captured in the moment, he was caught up in his thoughts as he was explaining the powerful work of God on behalf of all believers. Paul makes it clear in these verses that the gifts and rewards we shall receive from God, come because of the sovereignty and grace of the triune God. They come because of the love and grace God has shown to us. That’s why it’s important to note that all three members of the Trinity are mentioned in these passages. And because of the Ephesian fascination with magic and the occult, Paul is emphasizing the power and sovereignty of the triune God over all of creation. In these opening verses Paul is showing that true followers of Jesus have a real love for all the saints. And because of that love, we celebrate with joy the salvation of any new believer in Christ. Moreover, the phrase, “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” does not diminish the divinity of Jesus. On the contrary, it acknowledges both Jesus’ divinity as part of the Godhead and His incarnation.
It does so because it refers to Jesus adding humanity to His divinity. And this is such an important point for us to remember. Jesus who is the eternal God of Heaven, stepped out of eternity and took on humanity to save us from the penalty of sin, which is death and eternal separation from God. In addition, the “Spirit of wisdom” mentioned here is a reference to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His work of sanctification within our hearts and minds, as well as His work of illuminating scripture. Because we are now children of God through our faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us to better understand scripture in light of who Jesus is, what He has done for us and what He means to God’s plan of redemption. Why is this important? Because the culmination of God’s plan of redemption is to bring all creation under the lordship of Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father. And this understanding together with the process of sanctification and the illumination of scripture by the Holy Spirit, helps to develop wisdom within the hearts of all believers as the Holy Spirit deepens our understanding of God’s word. This in turn makes us more effective for God’s kingdom work, which He has called us to do here in this fallen world, as we are called to use our time, talents and resources to help those in need around us and spread the Gospel of Christ to a lost and fallen world.