Abundantly More

I (Kristin) have been studying Ephesians lately and I find myself getting hung up on this passage each time I read through:


(Ephesians 3:14-21)
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.


Its such a familiar passage that I can easily glaze over it and think, 'that was nice' when I finish reading the Amen.  When I pause to really process what Paul is conveying in this passage, however, it literally blows my mind.  I just can't grasp the fact that our Lord's Spirit is giving us strength in our inner beings so that we might understand the reaches of God's love for us more deeply.  What a God we serve!


To know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.  Isn't that a paradox? We've been given a great treasure our human minds just can't comprehend.  I love that towards the end of verse 19, where it says, 'that you may be filled with all the fullness of God', the Greek here actually indicates not just that we may be filled, but that we will be KEPT FULL...over time, God continually fills us with Himself.


Then stack verse 20 in there and try to grasp that God can do ABUNDANTLY more than we can ask or think.  That's more than we can ask or think even with His Spirit giving us knowledge in our inner being.  I'm so grateful that we serve such a great and incomprehensible God who loves us deeply and personally.


Praise God for His GREAT love and Jesus' sacrifice that paved the way for us to enter into this incredible love relationship with the Sovereign Creator of the universe.  May you have a blessed Easter!