WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Hey guys, Pastor Burton here and it's time for 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:05.200 you to grab that mug of pumpkin spice or whatever 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:06.960 other coffee you happen to be drinking because 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:09.740 it's time for a coffee break in the Bible. And 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:12.140 today I'm going to be reading from Ephesians 00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:18.160 chapter 1 verse 18. And the word says, The eyes 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.660 of your understanding being enlightened that 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:25.179 ye may know what is the hope of his calling and 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:28.320 what the riches of the glory of his inheritance. 00:00:31.580 --> 00:00:33.820 Of course, today I'm reading from the King James 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:37.759 Version. What's he speaking of, though? Well, 00:00:37.899 --> 00:00:41.659 the Apostle Paul, he's praying that the eyes 00:00:41.659 --> 00:00:45.219 of your heart be enlightened, right? Why the 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.079 eyes of your heart, though? That is such a specific 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:55.000 thing to be looking at. And the answer... itself 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:57.280 is actually real easy and it's because the the 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.200 word tells us in several places several times 00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:05.379 that the heart above all things is deceitful 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:09.099 right so it is the heart it's not just the mind 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:12.500 but the our hearts that's why i love the song 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:14.799 so much you know it says open the eyes of my 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:20.829 heart lord Because our hearts tend to be one 00:01:20.829 --> 00:01:22.450 of the strongest things that we follow, one of 00:01:22.450 --> 00:01:24.010 the things that we want to listen. People want 00:01:24.010 --> 00:01:26.769 to say the heart wants what the heart wants. 00:01:27.349 --> 00:01:30.969 But we have to be very careful. So that's why 00:01:30.969 --> 00:01:33.530 Paul wants the heart to be enlightened. Open 00:01:33.530 --> 00:01:35.769 the eyes of my heart. Because we need to have 00:01:35.769 --> 00:01:39.230 clear minds and we need to have open hearts in 00:01:39.230 --> 00:01:41.530 order to understand and to be able to grab onto 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:45.299 the truth that is our hope in Jesus. You know, 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:49.659 that hope means more than just some, you know, 00:01:49.659 --> 00:01:52.420 relative assurance that we're going to have a 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:55.379 good future. It's a certainty, you know, and 00:01:55.379 --> 00:01:58.900 it's knowing that God is going to do everything 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:04.219 that he's promised. And it is a promise. We see 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:06.739 time and time again, God's promises being fulfilled 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:10.520 in the word and throughout history. You don't 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:12.439 even have to go in the Bible. You can go in historical 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:17.580 books and historical text to find just that. 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:26.340 We just have to be a little patient. Psalm 119 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:30.080 verse 18 puts it like this. Open thou mine eyes 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:34.240 that I may behold wondrous things out of thy 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:37.979 law. Remember, Jesus didn't come to do away with 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:41.159 the law, but to fulfill it. Laws are there for 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:45.780 a reason. Without laws, there is no sin. Sin, 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:49.039 broken down to its simplest terms, is breaking 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:54.479 the law. God's law. And since Jesus didn't come 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:57.960 to do away with that, we need to stop listening 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:00.039 to our hearts when it's telling us to do those 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:03.780 deceitful, evil things. Those times when maybe 00:03:03.780 --> 00:03:06.360 you want to tell a white lie, or you want to 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:08.500 lay on the gas a little... a little more than 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:10.979 you should on the highway. You know, that's one 00:03:10.979 --> 00:03:13.439 thing with the American Legion Writers Chapter, 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:16.400 especially with our leadership right now. We 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:17.759 have some great leadership that reminds everybody. 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.039 It says, hey, no, we're out there. We have these 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:22.960 vests on. We have these colors. We're representing 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:25.300 something important. You know, people look to 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:29.979 us as veterans. You know, we've been called the 00:03:29.979 --> 00:03:32.740 cream of the crop, right? And people love veterans. 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.909 But they look to us and we still... Or look to 00:03:36.909 --> 00:03:39.430 to set an example. Well, you know what? It's 00:03:39.430 --> 00:03:41.349 no different in our spiritual life. So we need 00:03:41.349 --> 00:03:44.330 to slow down. We need to pull away from those 00:03:44.330 --> 00:03:46.789 things that are just so tempting and recognize 00:03:46.789 --> 00:03:51.129 them for what they truly are. And that is traps 00:03:51.129 --> 00:03:55.810 set by the evil one. Temptations, in other words. 00:03:56.830 --> 00:04:00.509 So we need to work to make sure that it's not 00:04:00.509 --> 00:04:04.229 just our minds, but our hearts that are open. 00:04:05.480 --> 00:04:08.060 Because when we feel the hurt, that hurt isn't 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:10.900 coming from our minds. It's coming from our heart. 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:16.120 When we feel the Lord at work, when we feel that 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:18.699 conviction from the Holy Spirit in our lives 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:20.920 saying, hey, you're doing something wrong, where 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:24.100 do we feel it? We feel it in our hearts. It impacts 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:29.720 us emotionally and spiritually, not just mentally. 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:36.819 So take that today. And reflect on it. Today, 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:39.920 that is our coffee break. Enjoy that coffee. 00:04:40.500 --> 00:04:44.600 Get a refill. And have a joyous day. God bless.