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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, 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 all knowledge—
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17b-19 (NIV)
“And I pray. . .” Paul talked to the Lord about the people who were in the Ephesian church. As Christians we have an obligation to pray for those on the front line in spiritual warfare- the pastors, the missionaries, the church leaders, and those serious about their faith. Jesus set the example to pray for all those who believe in Him (John 17:20, NIV)
“. . . you, being rooted and established in love. . .” The first century believers came to Christ because of God’s love. They became stronger as they grew in knowledge of His love. In our 21Century world, we strive to allow our roots to go deeper into Christ each day.
“. . . may have power. . .” When we ask Jesus into our lives, we relinquish our self- power for the power God gives us through the Holy Spirit. God told Paul that He works best when we, His children, are weak. We have strength because of the Lord.
“. . . with all the saints. . .”Paul may be talking about those who had been martyred When they came to Christ. We are not alone; we join others who, like us, love the Lord. Also, there are those in our cloud of witnesses, friends and loved ones who have gone on ahead.
“ . . to grasp. . .” When we learn of Jesus and His power, we can’t always understand things about our new life but, as our faith grows, we learn that we can trust Jesus for the outcome.
“. . . how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. . .” As we mature in Christ we try to understand about God’s love. We learn that His love for us is bigger than we will ever realize. Several years ago I saw a small card. It read like this: “I asked Jesus how much He loved me. He answered ‘This much.’ And spread out his arms and died for me.”
“. . . to know this love that surpasses all knowledge. . .” When we experience God in our lives, we don’t act, think, or talk the same. All this happens in our lives because we have God with us. All we can do is take this by faith.
“. . . that you may be filled to the measure . . .”Paul speaks of believers being filled with the Holy Spirit. He experienced the Holy Spirit on the Damascus Road. This passage suggests each one of us who follow him receives the Holy Spirit according to God’s measurement.
“. . . of all the fullness of God.” God wants to give each of us an ample amount of His love, strength, and wisdom in order that we may live for Him.
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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