“I pray that you may
receive power and strength…together with all of God’s people” – Ephesians 3:18
I recently read through Paul’s inspirational prayer he wrote
out for the Ephesians in his letter to them. Here’s the guy who’s the founder
and architect of their church, having been around since their inception,
heavily involved in their growth and development, now pouring his heart out to
them.
It’s an inspirational, moving passage, full of desire, hope, and as Pastor Brian likes to say, vital optimism. Paul dreams the big dreams of what he envisions for their lives, and allows them to see that this is near and dear to his heart for them. He shares with them what he most desires for them – a life full of the presence and power of God.
One detail I missed was the phrase that pops up embedded in the middle of verse 18 – “together with all God's holy people”. I never noticed that before. That verse seemed to linger with me after I finished reading it. I found it repeating itself through my ensuing days. I sat with that verse for a while and considered what God was impressing upon me.
When Paul talks about being rooted and established in love, it’s not merely a symbolic or ethereal term for him. He’s not waxing eloquent about some kind of vague knowledge that few grasp. He’s being very concrete about it. Follow me as a lay out what I think Paul is pointing to.
Being rooted is an agricultural reference that most people can quickly understand. When we are rooted in something we stay committed to it; we lock in and are able to withstand any attempts to pull us apart. We endure all kinds of flack and nonsense because what we’re connected to is worth it.
So what are we being rooted in? Love. Doesn’t strike you yet as compelling? What if I substituted the word “relationships” for “love—how does that sound? Paul is very clear in his allusion to love that it’s not something vague and nebulous we are to do throughout the day. He wants us to love people…in relationships. The way we treat our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, even strangers is the focus and target of our love. We are to be anchored with each other as we together seek the fulfillment of this gripping vision. When we are rooted in healthy relationships, we are experiencing and reflecting our ultimate design by God. It’s at those moments where we see the complete fulfillment of the Great Commandment in our lives, as we simultaneously love God and love our neighbor.
What Paul prays for is also compelling. It’s as if Paul is audaciously asking the Lord to grant us the knowledge of something so wonderful, it seems to be beyond human comprehension. Getting our brains wrapped around the ginormous weight and scope of God’s love is incredible. Most of us marvel as to why and how God loves us. We mostly settle for a “He just does” when we ask, because the beauty of it seems to melt us and blow our minds. This seems to be the ultimate, most prized, greatest understanding anyone on earth through the history of man could get a handle on. And yet, this is the very thing Paul prays. What would be the very best for us is the very thing dearest to Paul’s heart.
It’s not just the select few, the elites, the super-saints who are encouraged to experience this. Just like when the temple veil was torn in two at the moment of Jesus’ death, and the barrier between God and man was lifted and ripped away, Paul is espousing a radical notion that every single one of us – from the smartest to dullest, most experienced to least, most likely to the unlikeliest – is now eligible for this beautiful treasure. No one gets left behind. The love of God for us is open for all to experience, to be thrilled with, to delight in.
So all of us, every last one of us, are on the list. No one is exempt. Nobody gets left behind. Nobody is left out in the cold. “All the saints” is how one translation goes – that pretty much means every single person who’s given their life to Christ.
May you live your day in the warm beauty of this compelling truth and vision. And may you actively love those around you and in your growth group, so they too can experience the joy of experiencing God’s love for them.
I recently read through Paul’s inspirational prayer he wrote
out for the Ephesians in his letter to them. Here’s the guy who’s the founder
and architect of their church, having been around since their inception,
heavily involved in their growth and development, now pouring his heart out to
them.It’s an inspirational, moving passage, full of desire, hope, and as Pastor Brian likes to say, vital optimism. Paul dreams the big dreams of what he envisions for their lives, and allows them to see that this is near and dear to his heart for them. He shares with them what he most desires for them – a life full of the presence and power of God.
One detail I missed was the phrase that pops up embedded in the middle of verse 18 – “together with all God's holy people”. I never noticed that before. That verse seemed to linger with me after I finished reading it. I found it repeating itself through my ensuing days. I sat with that verse for a while and considered what God was impressing upon me.
When Paul talks about being rooted and established in love, it’s not merely a symbolic or ethereal term for him. He’s not waxing eloquent about some kind of vague knowledge that few grasp. He’s being very concrete about it. Follow me as a lay out what I think Paul is pointing to.
Being rooted is an agricultural reference that most people can quickly understand. When we are rooted in something we stay committed to it; we lock in and are able to withstand any attempts to pull us apart. We endure all kinds of flack and nonsense because what we’re connected to is worth it.
So what are we being rooted in? Love. Doesn’t strike you yet as compelling? What if I substituted the word “relationships” for “love—how does that sound? Paul is very clear in his allusion to love that it’s not something vague and nebulous we are to do throughout the day. He wants us to love people…in relationships. The way we treat our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, even strangers is the focus and target of our love. We are to be anchored with each other as we together seek the fulfillment of this gripping vision. When we are rooted in healthy relationships, we are experiencing and reflecting our ultimate design by God. It’s at those moments where we see the complete fulfillment of the Great Commandment in our lives, as we simultaneously love God and love our neighbor.
What Paul prays for is also compelling. It’s as if Paul is audaciously asking the Lord to grant us the knowledge of something so wonderful, it seems to be beyond human comprehension. Getting our brains wrapped around the ginormous weight and scope of God’s love is incredible. Most of us marvel as to why and how God loves us. We mostly settle for a “He just does” when we ask, because the beauty of it seems to melt us and blow our minds. This seems to be the ultimate, most prized, greatest understanding anyone on earth through the history of man could get a handle on. And yet, this is the very thing Paul prays. What would be the very best for us is the very thing dearest to Paul’s heart.
It’s not just the select few, the elites, the super-saints who are encouraged to experience this. Just like when the temple veil was torn in two at the moment of Jesus’ death, and the barrier between God and man was lifted and ripped away, Paul is espousing a radical notion that every single one of us – from the smartest to dullest, most experienced to least, most likely to the unlikeliest – is now eligible for this beautiful treasure. No one gets left behind. The love of God for us is open for all to experience, to be thrilled with, to delight in.
So all of us, every last one of us, are on the list. No one is exempt. Nobody gets left behind. Nobody is left out in the cold. “All the saints” is how one translation goes – that pretty much means every single person who’s given their life to Christ.
May you live your day in the warm beauty of this compelling truth and vision. And may you actively love those around you and in your growth group, so they too can experience the joy of experiencing God’s love for them.
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