Paul's love for others provokes me. This passage is entirely about him sharing his heart for the church in Ephesus. He cared so much that he bowed his knees (vs 14), when Jews typically prayed whilst standing. Let us evaluate each request that Paul has. Notice how each request builds on the next. He asks that 1. He may grant you to be strengthened, so that 2. Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that 3. You may be rooted and grounded in love, so that you may 4. Have strength to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth, and Know the love of Christ, so that 5. You may be filled with all the fullness of God.
1. That He may grant you to be strengthened.
This implies that we are need of strengthening. It also shares with us from where this strength comes. We are unable to be strengthened without the Father allowing it. Also, all of Paul's following requests hinge on us being granted strength by God. So, if Paul had no faith that one could be strengthened by God, he would have no cause to continue on in his petitions. First and foremost, we must believe that God not only can, but will grant us to be strengthened. How are we strengthened? "With power through his Spirit." We see the activity of the Spirit. When the Father grants us to be strengthened, the Spirit is the means by which we are indeed strengthened. And we are not strengthened in our mortal bodies (I'm living proof of that), but in our inner beings.
2. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
A great reminder of the necessity of faith. Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. Without faith, everything else falls to dust.
3. That you may be rooted and grounded in love.
What does it mean to be rooted and grounded in love? It means that everything flows from love. The roots of a plant, when strong, cause the plant to thrive and grow. When we are rooted in love, we thrive and grow in godliness. Everything in our lives must start with love. After all, we have experienced the benefits of the most powerful demonstration of love ever shown in the gospel. We are rooted and grounded in love when we are rooted and grounded in lofty thoughts of God, for that is one of his attributes. In fact, it is everybody's favorite attribute to name. God is love. (I won't get into the fact that we neglect God's justice or holiness as a culture, though I am greatly tempted to do so)
4. That you may have strength to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth, and know the love of Christ.
This is why Paul petitions that we would be strengthened in verse 16. If we are given the strength to know the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ, we will know it quite well. The Lord grants us eyes to see the love of Christ from many different angles, so that we might appreciate it more fully. The end result is emulating that love, which happens when we are rooted and grounded in love (Paul previous request to God).
5. That you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This is the final prayer of Paul for the church in Ephesus. It is also the culmination of his previous prayers in this passage. Once the previous four requests are granted, this one follows. Paul's prayers set us up that we may be filled.
How are all of these things able to be granted to us? Verse 16 gives us that answer. "According to the riches of his glory."
To conclude this section, Paul recognizes again the power of kindness of God. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." There is not a better way to conclude this post, so I shall leave it at that.
Monday, September 22, 2008
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This passage of scripture has been very encouraging to me today. Thank you for the posts! Though I have been faced with some difficult circumstances today, The Lord will “strengthen me with power through His Spirit in my inner being.” I was asking myself the question, “How am I going to get it all done?” I realized that having a self pity and self sufficient attitude was not helping things because God is “able to do far more abundantly than all that I ask or think, according to the power at work within me.”
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