Rooted and Established in Love
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Ephesians 3:16-21
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through 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. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Paul can really pack a lot into a few sentences! Christ is already present in our lives, but Paul is talking about Christ “moving in” and “feeling at home.” We are to do more than
say we are Christians, we must
live as Christians. We are to act and think as if Christ were a part of us -- so closely identified with our inner selves, that we act and think as Christ did. That’s a tall order, and praying that for someone could seem as if we are burdening them with a heavy load!
But we are able to embrace that prayer not because of our own faith, strength of will or character, but because we are, in fact, rooted and established in love -- a love that is wider, deeper, higher than any love we could ever imagine! Because of Christ we can do all things! The love that surpasses knowledge is not unknowable, but it is certainly too vast to completely understand it and at times I have felt overwhelmed by how that love manifests itself in my life!
And we have even more encouragement and assurance: God is able and willing to give us even more than we ask for--more, in fact, than we could ever imagine deserving or receiving. And we
don’t deserve what he offers. But out of that immeasurable, unknowable, unfathomable love he has for us, he gives to us his amazing grace! Because of all this, we give God unending glory--the ultimate goal of our existence.
So when we pray this kind of prayer for someone else, or for ourselves, we are unleashing a mighty force into the world! Our faith emboldens us to ask. Our faith allows us to accept God’s generous and overflowing response. Our faith gives us the courage to respond to God’s blessing. Our faith is rooted in Him, after all.
I hope today you will live out your faith in the God who rains down his blessings upon us. And that you’ll offer a prayer of hope, love and grace to every person you meet.
Mary
