For This Reason
.
Ephesians 3:14-21
14. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15. from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16. that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, 17. and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18. may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19. and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God. 20. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, 21. to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
That’s a long sentence! But it is almost impossible to contain the good and wonderful qualities of and benefits of believing in and following Christ! Paul wants us to invite Christ in and allow him to dwell—to be comfortable and feel completely at home—in our hearts. So we don’t treat him like company, but rather like family. We are completely ourselves with him—especially since he already knows everything about us! We are open and honest and vulnerable and humble in his presence, knowing that his love for us will never change, will never falter, will never end.
Of course we will never have the power to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. It is virtually impossible for us to grasp divinity! But when we reflect upon the wonder and awe of it all—of God sending himself/his son to earth to walk among us—we can gain a faint glimmer of comprehension! We can almost imagine a love that great—but of course, we’re not capable of even approaching that kind of love, so almost will have to do until we get to heaven, when all will be revealed.
Paul urges us to work hard to advance the cause of Christ. We are to labor for the good of the body, the family of God. And above all we are to give Him the glory as the motivation and power behind our labor. We are to glorify God by our lives, out of reverence and gratitude for his unspeakable gift of grace. And we are to share that blessing with others, wherever and whenever we can.
So as we struggle in our faith, Christ is with us, patiently waiting for the “aha!” As we falter, Christ is there to offer a helping hand to steady us. As we question, He is there to direct us toward an answer. And always, always we know and trust and believe that He has suffered not only with us, but for us. And he suffers still, as he waits for us to find Him and know Him and love Him as completely as He loves us.
Heaven awaits! Until then, we can only imagine being in the presence of God’s glory. And we can only try, as best we can, to imitate the love of Christ, taught to us through the Word, demonstrated for us on the Cross, and sealed for us on Easter morning.
I hope today you’ll pause to reflect upon the immense and intense love of Jesus. And that you’ll savor being loved that much.
Mary
