Tag: grant

 October 20 –Surpasses Knowledge

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, … that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, …that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” – Ephesians 3:14, 16, 17, 18, 19 (NASB)

From today’s passage we’ll consider specific parts of Paul’s continued prayer* for the believers in Ephesus. Because this is part of the inspired Word of God, what Paul prays for on their behalf he has prayed for on ours as well. His prayer is for the spiritual welfare of others. The source of these promises is according to the riches of His glory – ‘according to’ rather than ‘out of,’ means the riches are never diminished. They are limitless and available to every believer. It is for our spiritual power that Paul prays, “strengthened … His Spirit in the inner man.” Spiritual power marks every Christian who submits to God’s Word and Spirit. The prayer is for our understanding. Only as believers are we able to understand the fullness of God’s love. There is no comprehension apart from genuine, Spirit-empowered love in our life. Paul gives us four descriptive words⸺breadth, length, height, depth⸺which suggest the vastness and completeness of God’s love. Such knowledge of Christ’s love is beyond the capability of our human reason and experience. It can be known only by those who are God’s children and are filled up to all the fullness of God.

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*Read our passage in context Ephesians 3:14-21 (NASB).

April 16 – Rooted In Love

“He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,” – Ephesians 3:16 (NASB)

The Apostle Paul often wrote long complex sentences and this verse is and excerpt from one of those time. Though the prayer for the Ephesian believers begins in verse 14 and ends in verse 19, Paul’s request is in verse 16. In this prayer he asked for only one thing: His petition in this prayer is that we be strengthened in the inner man. The result of this is that through faith Christ dwells in our hearts. “Dwell” is not a word used frequently in our day but in this passage Paul is praying for our faith to be dwelling in our hearts and permeating our whole being (personalities). “Dwell” refers not to the beginning of Christ’s indwelling at the moment of salvation. Instead it denotes the desire that Christ may, literally, “be at home in,” our lives. That is, dwelling at the very center of and deeply rooted within our being. It is a promise, if we let Him, that Christ becomes the dominating factor in our thought (attitudes), words (speech), and deeds (conduct). Being rooted and grounded in love is for our understanding the awesome extent of Christ’s love.

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