Ephesians 1:18 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. This passage is fairly familiar to most engaged believers and is truly a new testament prayer. Let's look at one phrase, "so that you will know the HOPE of His calling." Not the purpose or function or even destiny of His calling, but the "hope" of His calling. This could be read two different ways: 1) What does God see in us? What is His upside in you? When you're feeling the downside, does this sound sacrilegious to say God has a hope in us? We know He has a divine plan and He desires us to fit into that. Could this be the hope He is speaking of? 2) The vital nature of hope in pursuing the call of God is that we would never lose hope in the midst of opposition and even heartbreak. Hope is the foundation of faith. We will never move in faith in an area where hope has not first prevailed. Hope says it can happen. God will do it. Faith says it will happen and God will do it through me! The enemy uses our circumstances and weaknesses to try to rob our hope. So here the Holy Spirit has shown us how to do war against the thief of hope. The eyes of our heart or understanding being enlightened so that we will know the hope of His calling. To know is to have first-hand knowledge and to be intimately acquainted with our calling! Hope is yours. Don't lose it; use it. Pray for that enlightenment. The reward of keeping hope alive is "…the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Enjoy the body of Christ and our place in it, as that is part of the reward and inheritance. In His Master's Service, Keith Tucci NRP Apostolic Team Leader