Daily Dose of Hope

March 27, 2026

Scripture: Ephesians 1

Prayer: Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us. We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name. As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you. Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are working our way through Paul's New Testament letters, in chronological order. Yesterday, we finished the book of Romans and today we begin our seventh pastoral letter, the book of Ephesians.

Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus is quite extraordinary! The prose is both beautiful and powerful. It speaks to who we are in Jesus, new life in Christ, and what we must now do about it.

The church at Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey, was established on Paul's second missionary journey. On his third missionary journey, Paul spent 2-3 years in the city. He addressed false doctrines and pagan practices. In his letter to the church of Ephesus, written roughly ten years later, Paul commends the Ephesian church on their faith and love. They have done well and we see that expressed in this letter.

There is a lot to say about this first chapter, but I want to focus on the middle portion. Paul states how he has heard of their faith and love, and he gives thanks for them and their dedication to Jesus. He lifts them in prayer, specifically that they will know God even more and will be given supernatural wisdom and revelation. While he is pleased with their spiritual maturity, he is still praying for them, that they continue to grow in holiness. Paul wants them to truly have the knowledge of God, which can't be gained by study but only through God himself.

As I reread this, I couldn't help but think about how we are never done growing spiritually. We never get to the point in our walk in which we can say, "That's it, I've made it, no more study, prayer, or service needed for me!" If we aren't dead, we aren't done. God isn't done with any of us yet.

One more thing I want to mention. Paul speaks of believers being marked by a seal. In the ancient world, a seal was the personal sign of an owner who was sending something very important. It also indicated that what was received was genuine, in that it was truly from the person who it said it was from. The Jews thought of circumcision as a seal ,in that circumcision indicated they belonged to the one true God. In today's Scripture, the apostle Paul is saying that we as Christians are also marked with a seal, the seal of the Holy Spirit, which guarantees to whom we belong and that what we believe in true and genuine. In Christ, you are marked with the most important seal in the world! If you have said yes to Jesus, then the Holy Spirit has marked you. You are claimed. You can be assured that you are a child of God.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki