Ephesians 3:7-21 MSG This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud! 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. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
Observation
Paul wrote this from prison where his freedom was restricted; he was on lockdown whether in house arrest or an actual jail cell. I am always amazed at his response to every “negative” circumstance – “All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus.” Over and over in his writings, he expresses such humility about his part in this plan of God, whether seen or unseen – important but not indispensable, an oiler that keeps the various parts lubricated and working at their best, a coach who hones the abilities of the team to bring out the best in each one. He was not looking for credit/recognition for himself but always expressing his deep and abiding gratitude to be a servant/slave for the Lord.
He was fully soaked in “Love God, Love Others”. He encouraged others to invite Jesus in and embrace first the knowledge/understanding 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”. He knew that love is the answer, not only will it sustain and strengthen us, but also is the ultimate weapon to defeat all of the Enemy’s schemes, all of his deceptions. It was the Love that sent Jesus to the Cross, the Love which accomplished God’s plan to provide redemption for whosoever will come, and the Love, living in us, that consistently shares Jesus as the answer to everyone we meet.
Impact on Me
“Preach the Gospel. When necessary, use words.” If Love is the basis of all I do and say and think, the Holy Spirit will flow through my prayer, acts of kindness, hospitality, listening, compassion/care, and every other tangible and intangible act I do. I want to get to the place in my understanding and embrace of the “extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love” that I see where I am and what I am experiencing at any given moment as an opportunity – like Paul – to be used by God to accomplish His will and purpose. I want to live in Christ above rather than under the circumstances.
“Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” I believe this will require soaking in that Love until it dissolves fear, doubt, selfishness, unforgiveness, and every other bit of pride in me. That will be a mighty long soak but so worth it! So, I set myself to more time in the Word, more contemplation, more prayer, more listening, more repentance, more submitting to examination by the Holy Spirit, more obedience, more journey toward a humble and contrite heart and anything else required by God.
Prayer
Lord, You are Love. As we embrace Love, we are embracing You. Work in me, in us, to bring us to the understanding that we lose nothing by submitting all to You. Freely and fully submitting to You is all gain – the wholeness of shalom – peace, joy, righteousness, eternity with You. May I see my current circumstances as part of Your plan and seek to serve You faithfully in each one. Go to the root of my self-interest and expose it for what it is – a stronghold separating me from “the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love” – from plunging into the ocean of Your Love. May I be so saturated, even dripping with Your Love, that others will come to know You because You are evident in my every act, every word, and even every thought or silent prayer. I ask You to make it so, in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 