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For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  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 Lord’s holy people, 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 in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

 

The apostle Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians has always been one of my favorite passages of scripture. As we navigate our way through summer, it is my prayer for all of us. I pray we would remember Jesus delights in strengthening us with power through his Spirit in our inner being. I hope we could remember how gloriously rich He is—that we could remember He always gives us more than we need and always has an ample supply with which to refill us. He is not skimpy. He pours out His Spirit upon us lavishly and wants us to walk in His glorious power at all times.  

 

He has a very simple reason for doing that: so that He may dwell in our hearts through faith. Faith changes everything. When we truly trust in Jesus and understand all He has done for us, we realize we have nothing to fear. He has taken care of our past. He has made us content in our present circumstances, and He has secured our future with Him forever. Faith allows us to have peace even in the most trying of times.

As great as this entire prayer is, here, to me, is the source of ultimate power: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, 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. 

 

Paul understands there is nothing more important than knowing and experiencing the love of Christ. It is not enough to just believe scripture tells us He loves us. It is critical that we know He loves us. More than anything, Jesus wants us to experience His life-changing love, so it is no longer just a mental concept. Now, it is a tangible reality in our lives—so real and powerful—that we are compelled to love Him back. This is what allows us to live out the Great Commandment! When we truly experience Christ’s personal love for us, we are finally able to love him and others the way God has always desired.

 

Paul assigns four dimensions to Christ’s love: how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. I’m not sure what theologians would think of my interpretation, but here’s what this means to me. Christ’s love is wide enough to cover my lifetime of sin. There is no gap in that coverage. His love and forgiveness is complete. He has washed away my sin with His powerful love.

 

Christ’s love is long enough to fill every day of my life with His loving presence. We exist in today. Tomorrow is gone and the future has not yet arrived, but as long as today is today, Christ’s love will endure.

Christ’s love is high enough. It reaches to the heavens and brings heaven to earth. In the end, it is my guarantee that I will live with him in heaven one day.

 

Christ’s love is deep enough. It is eternal. It has no beginning or end. It is an unending, unchanging reservoir—enough to cover all eternity.

Paul tells us the experience of Christ’s love surpasses any other knowledge we could possibly possess. When we have this knowledge and experience of Christ’s love, then we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. God wants to pour out His riches upon us. He wants to fill us to overflowing with every good gift He has. According to Paul, the prerequisite to being filled with all the fullness of God is to truly know Christ’s love. 

 

Finally, I pray we could lay hold of this amazing truth: 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 in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. I pray in this time of chaos and political unrest, we would remember God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

 

So, today and every day, walk in the amazing truth, power, and experience of Christ’s love. Remember that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is alive and well and working in and through all of God’s people. Revel in His love. Give it away generously and allow the power of the Holy Spirit within us to bring Christ glory forever and ever.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Dave