I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people. Ephesians 1:18
“Apart from Him nothing should seem right to you. In Him I am bearing my chains, which are spiritual pearls; in them I hope to rise again, through your prayer. May I always have a share of it! Then I will be found to share the lot of the Ephesian Christians, who have always agreed with the apostles by the power of Jesus Christ.”
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 50-c. 110) in his Letter to the Ephesians 11:2.
Today’s Scripture reflects the heart of the Apostle Paul for the Christians in Ephesus around the year A.D. 60. He wanted them to “know the hope” and they only way that happens is by experiencing hard times.
Having a share of an inheritance in earthly terms relates to money and possessions. Having a share in Christ is so much greater. It is the lot that makes bearing chains turn them into spiritual pearls, a generous gift from God.
The fact that this share relates to “the hope to which He has called us” implies that having a share in Christ will put us in hard situations, such as having to endure suffering or difficulty. This was the case with Ignatius who writes the Ephesians around A.D. 108.
In my culture in America in 2024, people (even Christians) place a high value on comfort and aim to avoid suffering at all costs. So when I read that Ignatius writes “Apart from Him nothing should seem right to you” I can relate.
The world I live in does not seem right. How most people (including Christians) handle money and possessions shows their hope (or their share) is in money rather than in Christ. So, they miss the opportunity to “know the hope” or grasp their share.
So, today my prayer for myself and for you is that, like Ignatius, we will sacrifice everything to have a share in the riches in Christ, which includes His sufferings. Only then will we truly understand the hope to which we are called.