Ephesians 3 rocked my world! Crazy, right? I mean, it’s not like I hadn’t read it before. In fact, I could have quoted several of the verses.
But this time, just… wow! It wasn’t so much that Paul willingly accepted jail time because he could see the purpose in it. It wasn’t even that God’s plan for Salvation and unity were made perfect in Jesus, or even that we now have confidence to go freely before the throne of the King of kings. As awesome as those Truths are, it was Paul’s prayer for you and me that gripped my heart and brought a new hunger to my spirit (3:14-20).
So I ask: Will you ever grasp the magnitude of the love of Christ for us? Will I? This love that is deep, intimate, all inclusive, endless, far reaching, and extravagant? I truly hope so! We need at least an inkling of it because it’s that understanding that leads us to experience God’s presence and fullness in our lives!
Don’t worry, though, we are not alone in our journey to grasp His love for us! In verse 16, Paul prays that all believers will be strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit in the very core of our being (innermost part) so that Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith. Sometimes we think this is the end-goal of the Gospel: to have Jesus in our hearts as our ticket to Heaven. But, if we stop there, we miss out on the incredible richness of a relationship with Abba… Daddy! We miss out on developing a relationship with Jesus, our Co-heir and Groom. We spend our days trying to be “good enough” instead of living life with the Holy Spirit as our Coach, Comforter, and Counselor.
God has SO much more in mind for us!
As we become secure in the idea that Jesus loved us enough that He gave His life for us (head knowledge), we want to know Him! We choose to grow in intimacy with Him through relationship. It is in that journey that the Holy Spirit enables us to KNOW the love of Christ… he takes it from head knowledge to heart knowledge! We begin to grasp that He loves us, ALL of us, deeply, intimately, endlessly, and extravagantly! With that deep understanding, we become filled with the very presence of God in all of His fullness! Wow! Yes, please!!
Paul closes out his prayer glorifying God and declaring praises from every generation from now till eternity. And in that closing, don’t miss this incredible reminder and promise: The God that we serve, our Abba, is able to carry out His purpose for us! He is able to do superabundantly, infinitely, immeasurably more than you and I can ask, imagine, think, hope, dream and pray! Now I ask, are you dreaming? Are you asking? Are you hoping? Are you praying? I sure hope so. Let’s declare, “Yes, and Amen!” to this promise!
On your behalf and mine, I pray in agreement with the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-20. Here is that prayer in The Passion Translation: “So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, 15 the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. 16 And I pray that He would unveil within you the unlimited riches of His glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive power.
17 Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of His love will become the very source and root of your life.
18–19 Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!”1
Live Loved,
1 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+3&version=TPT