Ephesians 3:14-19
My response is to get down on
my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all
heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute
strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as
you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet
planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of
Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and
experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the
heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Studies
have shown that maintaining body strength and muscle tone is important
as we age. I try to get to the pool three times a week for a workout
and to swim some laps to strengthen my arms, legs, lungs and “inner
core”. I know people who are far more dedicated than I am and spend
several hours each day working on their body strength and muscle tone.
And all of this is great…and important for the long haul!
But if
you look at this passage carefully, Paul talks about a “glorious inner
strength”, which comes from the Holy Spirit. By inviting Jesus Christ
into our hearts and minds...and spending time in His presence…we develop
our inner strength. This allows us to fully experience the
extravagance of Jesus’ love…to test the length, plumb the depths, and
rise to the heights with Him…and to share this with others in a profound
way.
Just as brute muscle strength doesn’t happen without hard
work, we must exercise our faith to obtain inner strength and fully
experience the presence of God and His Holy Spirit. How dedicated are
you to this goal? How hard are you working to build your Spiritual
“inner core”? Is God’s presence in your life all that you long for…all
that it should be? Will this be the day that you develop a new workout
plan and aim higher, deeper and broader with Christ?
Are you ready to build some “muscle” that matters? Will this be the day you get started?
©2015 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment