Evening

September 29

Ephesians 3:16-18 ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ...

Here is the beginning of another prayer from the lips of the Apostle Paul for the churches in Asia Minor. It is a prayer we might pray for our fellow believers. The second half of the prayer will be in tomorrow's devotion. Let's look closely and see what was on his heart to pray for those churches.

He began by praying that their inner being might be strengthened through God's Spirit. In other words that their spirit may grow and be strong, victorious in that constant battle with the flesh. He prayed this so that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith. These folks have already received Christ. It is another thing for Christ to be at home in their hearts because of their faith in Him for the daily battles of life. Is Christ at home in your heart? Is the Spirit in your spirit victorious over the battles with your old nature? Is Christ reigning in or enduring the condition of your heart? And what of your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are you praying for them to be strengthened out of His glorious riches so that Christ will be at home in them?

He went on to pray that they would be rooted and established in love. This is the great commandment, to love God with our all. Paul is praying that they would be deeply and solidly anchored in love of and for God. How does that come about? By receiving power to grasp the extent of Christ's love for us, to see the dimensions of that love, we find a love for Him birthed within us. Love begets love. When we are loved, we find we love in response. If you want to love Christ in a fuller way, see the dimensions of His love for you personally. All the saints are to receive this power together, to grasp the dimensions of His love together. The more we love Him, the more we encourage our brothers and sisters to love Him wholeheartedly.

Prayer: Lord, please give me the grace to receive the power to grasp the magnitude of Your love for me.