For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Paul prays that we will be able to comprehend the totality of God’s love. The word comprehend means: –verb (used with object)
1. to understand the nature or meaning of; grasp with the mind; perceive:
2. to take in or embrace; include; comprise
What would it mean for us to take in, embrace, to understand, grasp with the mind and perceive the boundless reaches of God’s love? Everything we touch has boundaries. Everything we perceive has limits. What would it be like to have such an understanding that God was not defined by boundaries, that His love was limitless?
According to this passage, we must be able to know, the Love of God which passes knowledge… We must be filled with all the fullness of Christ. In order to do this, we must be rooted and grounded in love. Sadly, we are not. We are rooted and grounded in sense knowledge: What I think, what I feel, what I see; what I hear; and what I can touch. This sensual reality, colors our ability to know the limitless-ness of God.
Paul asks in his prayer for us that God would grant us, according to the riches of His Glory (limitless) to be strengthened with might through His Spirit (again, limitless) that Christ (limitless) may dwell in our hearts through faith. No limits here…..
We need to be rooted and grounded in love SO THAT WE CAN comprehend the fathomless Love of God. This knowledge enables us to reach for the impossible-those things that are far exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Knowledge of Him (intimate knowing) causes us to rise above the self and circumstances and believe for the impossible in our situations. Without this intimate knowledge, we cannot believe for the great things. Verse 20 is dependent on the revelation of the height and length and depth and width of God’s love toward us: According to the power that works in us.
The question becomes: What power is working in us, and to what extent? Where are the limits that hold us to the self and circumstances? When we can break through these boundaries, we can know. When we know, we will be that glorious church, filled with all the fullness of God.
Until next time,
Polly
★★★★★