Know Him - Eph 1:15-23
"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, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." Eph. 1:18-19a
"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." Eph. 1:18-19a
Are you prepared to virtually climb with our team? Yesterday we began laying a foundation of our identity in Christ and His awesome work to save and redeem us. Today, Paul prays for all believers. He wants three things for you and so prays for God's "Spirit of wisdom and revelation" (v. 17) to be given to you as well as "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" (v. 18). The three things? To know Him, to know the hope to which we're called, and to know His great power for us.
To know Him: there is no greater calling for us than to get to know our Maker and King as fully, accurately, and intimately as possible. And there is no greater way to get to know Him than through His Word. What we believe, or don't believe, about God influences and changes how we act. Paul leads us to what he thinks we should know about God: our hope is in Him - sharing in "His glorious inheritance" with "His holy people" (v. 18), stemming from "His incomparably great power for us who believe" (v. 19). Let that sink in. The great power that raised Christ and gave Him power over everything is the same great power He has for us!
Pray:
Father, I praise you for creating us to know You and for being so wise and good to reveal Yourself to us through Your Word. Please open our hearts and give us Your Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know You better. Let knowing You change us to be more like You. Amen.
Challenge:
Meditate on God's great power as revealed in this passage. Reflect on the power He used to raise Christ from the dead and place Him over all other powers and authorities. Get to know Him and His power better. If this is the same great power He has for you, how does that affect or change your life?
CLIMB DAY 2
What a day! Our team will be arriving in Amsterdam this morning. They only have one connection to make, but it is important that they make it because KLM airlines (a sister of Delta) only makes one flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro each day. The flight to Amsterdam takes almost 9 hours, and while the layover is not lengthy (around 2 hours), it will be a welcome respite before the 8 hour flight to Kilimanjaro!
Flying is enjoyable to some, but a source of fear for others. Turbulence, tight quarters, boredom, and the possibility of lost luggage can cause anxiety and stress, making it difficult to relax and rest. Obviously, we need to be praying for our team. With every flight comes an opportunity: to meet and talk with people you would otherwise never encounter. I'm sure many will ask our team questions about their flight’s final destination (Kilimanjaro), so let's pray there will be an opportunity for them to speak about their true final destination (eternity with Christ).
Another aspect of traveling abroad that our team has been preparing for is possible sickness. All the climbers have been updating their vaccinations and making sure they are medically prepared. Tanzania is a hot spot for malaria. Since malaria is spread mainly by mosquitos, the team will be out of the major threat area after two days on the mountain - mosquitos cannot survive at high altitudes. But while our team is on the ground, malaria is a potential threat. There are medications they can take to recover, but malaria would jeopardize a team member being able to climb.
Pray for our team as they fly! That they would trust The Lord with every fear and that they would have enough presence of mind to stretch and walk throughout the plane's cabin to keep up blood circulation. Pray for the conversations they may have with those they are sitting next to. Pray for their health, for God's protection over their physical bodies.
To know Him: there is no greater calling for us than to get to know our Maker and King as fully, accurately, and intimately as possible. And there is no greater way to get to know Him than through His Word. What we believe, or don't believe, about God influences and changes how we act. Paul leads us to what he thinks we should know about God: our hope is in Him - sharing in "His glorious inheritance" with "His holy people" (v. 18), stemming from "His incomparably great power for us who believe" (v. 19). Let that sink in. The great power that raised Christ and gave Him power over everything is the same great power He has for us!
Pray:
Father, I praise you for creating us to know You and for being so wise and good to reveal Yourself to us through Your Word. Please open our hearts and give us Your Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know You better. Let knowing You change us to be more like You. Amen.
Challenge:
Meditate on God's great power as revealed in this passage. Reflect on the power He used to raise Christ from the dead and place Him over all other powers and authorities. Get to know Him and His power better. If this is the same great power He has for you, how does that affect or change your life?
CLIMB DAY 2
What a day! Our team will be arriving in Amsterdam this morning. They only have one connection to make, but it is important that they make it because KLM airlines (a sister of Delta) only makes one flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro each day. The flight to Amsterdam takes almost 9 hours, and while the layover is not lengthy (around 2 hours), it will be a welcome respite before the 8 hour flight to Kilimanjaro!
Flying is enjoyable to some, but a source of fear for others. Turbulence, tight quarters, boredom, and the possibility of lost luggage can cause anxiety and stress, making it difficult to relax and rest. Obviously, we need to be praying for our team. With every flight comes an opportunity: to meet and talk with people you would otherwise never encounter. I'm sure many will ask our team questions about their flight’s final destination (Kilimanjaro), so let's pray there will be an opportunity for them to speak about their true final destination (eternity with Christ).
Another aspect of traveling abroad that our team has been preparing for is possible sickness. All the climbers have been updating their vaccinations and making sure they are medically prepared. Tanzania is a hot spot for malaria. Since malaria is spread mainly by mosquitos, the team will be out of the major threat area after two days on the mountain - mosquitos cannot survive at high altitudes. But while our team is on the ground, malaria is a potential threat. There are medications they can take to recover, but malaria would jeopardize a team member being able to climb.
Pray for our team as they fly! That they would trust The Lord with every fear and that they would have enough presence of mind to stretch and walk throughout the plane's cabin to keep up blood circulation. Pray for the conversations they may have with those they are sitting next to. Pray for their health, for God's protection over their physical bodies.