I have always been a morning person. I like that time of day. I seem to wake up here around 5:30 everyday. This morning I snuck out to the livingroom, turned on the light, made myself some dark rich coffee and sat and watched the new day dawn.
I have decided that once a week I will share something from His Word with you all. (oh oh a little american slang coming out!) Today I read in the 3rd chapter of Ephesians. That is a letter that Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus while he will in chains due to his faith in Christ. I sat there thinking that I am not in chains but I am far away from you all and it would be wise from time to time to express some of the truths that He impresses on me.
Power. That is the word for today. What comes to your mind when you hear that word? I often associate it with strength or energy. The passage I read this morning speaks about power. In fact the heading at the top says "PRAYER FOR STRENGTH". Alrighty I thought as I began to read. I need that for sure!
But I love the way the Lord tweaks my understanding and gives deeper insight into His truth.
Let me just share Paul's prayer with you so you know where I am coming from.
"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power with His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge --that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
The first thing I noticed this morning is that the kind of strengthening that He wants to provide isn't only physical, but it goes deep, down very deep into our inner being. So it isn't like a caffeine jolt that wakes us up in the morning. It is a deeper, lasting strength that goes to the core of who we are. This power comes from His Spirit! It helps us to know that He indwells us. I think that is key. Often we think that we need strength to do certain things.. no we need strength to know WHOSE we are and out of that knowledge the strength to live as we ought to.
Then he goes on to ask God to give us power. Power for what?? This is incredible... power to know His LOVE. I don't know about you but one of the hardest things for me to grapple with (and yes I am being honest) was that the Father could truly love me. I thought that maybe if I did enough, or was spiritual enough then He would love me but Paul is asking that we would begin to GRASP (implying that this is a tricky concept for our feeble minds) how wide, how long, how high and how DEEP is the love of Christ.
Why does it take power for Him to impart this truth to our souls? Because it is the kind of love that surpasses knowledge!!! It isn't a head kind of knowledge that says 'oh yeah, I kinda think He likes me some of the time" No, His Spirit wants to strength us with power to KNOW the surpassing love of God! Once we understand that truth deeply and profoundly we will never be the same again. Never. Only His Spirit can impart this to us.
Without this revelation of His love for us, we struggle with a sense of value, self worth, confidence and purpose. We do things for approval, recognition or admiration. But when we begin to see and know HIS love it changes us on the inside (the inner being) and we become free to love others as we ought.
So... I pray along with Paul that you would be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, and that you would have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for YOU. Open up your heart. It won't hurt. :-) But it will begin to set you free and empower you to relax, live, love and reach out to those around you who have either forgotten and don't know the love of the Father.
May He quiet you with His love (Zeph. 3:16)
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