Aprisoner who survived 14 years in a Cuban jail explained how he kept his spirits up and his hope alive: “I had no window in my cell, and so I mentally constructed one on the door. I ‘saw’ in my mind a beautiful scene from the mountains, with water tumbling down a ravine over rocks. It became so real to me that I would visualise it without effort every time I looked at the cell door.”

Ironically some of the most hopeful books of the Bible—Philippians, Colossians and Ephesians—come out of Paul’s house arrest in Rome. The letter to the Ephesians gives a hint as to what the apostle Paul saw when he thought about life beyond his place of confinement.

Firstly, he saw the spiritual growth in the churches he left behind. This book opens with a burst of thanksgiving for the vitality of the Ephesian church (Eph. 1:15-16). Then he sought to open the eyes of their hearts to even greater sights: the “exceeding riches” of God’s grace (2:7). When Paul picks up the intensity to express God’s plan of love, not one downhearted word sneaks in.

If you feel discouraged or question whether the Christian life is worth it, Ephesians proves to be a great tonic. It prescribes the riches in Christ available to all.

Author

Philip Yancey

Topics

Our Daily Bread