Strengthened Deep Down
Devotional Contributor: Tim Nagy
Scripture:
Ephesians 3:14-20 “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…”
Observation:
Al has given this reflection a very apt title: being “Strengthened Deep Down” is exactly the focus of this passage. Paul has saturated this section with purpose clauses which communicate a deep connection between purpose and strength. This passage makes me think of the classic scriptural metaphor of the vine and the branches (John 15:1-8). Since we have been grafted into Jesus (Romans 11:11-24), that connection needs to be strengthened all the way down to the roots – “being rooted and grounded in love” (v.17). Paul’s illuminated thought process gives us a progression of how this happens. It begins with the strength of the Spirit so that Christ can dwell in our hearts through faith so that we can have the strength to comprehend more about God and his love for us so that we will be filled more and more with the fullness of God – his promises, his truth, his love, his wisdom. Therefore, for Paul, ultimate strength is a matter of being filled with the fullness of God. One is strong when one is filled with the fullness of God. This fullness brings us to our application.
Application:
How can we become filled with the fullness of God? We must pray for it. “For this reason [that we become strong by being increasingly filled with the fullness of God], I bow my knees before the Father (v. 14).” Paul prayed for this. He longed for this church plant in Ephesus to have strong roots so that it would grow. He wanted each person to break off from their rootedness in this world and be, as Eugene Peterson puts it, “replanted in Eden.” In his translation of the Bible known as The Message, Peterson translates Jeremiah 17:8 in this way: “They're like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers - Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.” As our roots become strengthened down deep into these rivers of God’s love – his faithfulness, his promises, his unfailing, inexhaustible steadfast love – and we “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth” of that love, we will bear fruit in the 5 F’s and beyond…and we will be strong.
Request:
Father, Thank you for your Word. Please help us to know you more and abide in you more so that we might be truly strong men who love fiercely and lead confidently by your grace. Let us live each new day in your fullness, trusting in you with our full selves. Guide our roots into more of your truth as we sharpen each other and read your Word. Let our fruitfulness be born of your strength, and please use our fruits for your glory and for the strengthening of our families and communities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.