September 27, 2022 -- Ephesians 3:14-19 -- Contemplation to accompany your morning coffee

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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 power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV

This is probably a very familiar section of Ephesians, one you have read and pondered before. In preparation for teaching this text in today’s Bible Study I read Sinclair Ferguson’s “Let’s Study Ephesians”. It was so helpful. My usual focus is on the fact that we need the strength of the Spirit, in our inner being, so that we can have Christ live in our hearts through faith. It is both beautiful to think about and marvelous to meditate on that He Who fills the heaven of heavens could make our hearts His home. Awesome.

Today I was challenged by the paradox at the end of the reading. We need strength in our inner being so that we will know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Yeah, read that last sentence again, I’ll wait! (You might want to read it one more time, it is very rich!) Jesus is fully God and fully Man. He is in His divinity perfect and infinite, and our language almost breaks down trying to describe Him and HIs holiness. Yet, the Father has decided to give us, His children, the gift of Christ and of His Spirit, living in our hearts, so that we will know His love. Such love is so vast and great and perfect and strong and steadfast that the more we know of it, the more we realize there is to know, and we realize how little we actually understand even as we long for more. Just thinking on this leads us to worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Father from Whom every family in heaven and earth is named, great are You and worthy of praise. You have blessed Your people in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ—sealing to our hearts Him Who is the most extravagant gift and doing this by Your Spirit. Fill our thoughts and imaginings with the constant contemplations of Jesus so that we will truly be filled with the fullness of Him Who surpasses knowledge. Father, Source of every good gift, lead us by Your Spirit so that the Bible is precious to us and as we read it Jesus is our highest desire and joy. Amen.

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