"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."
That prayer is just so beautiful. Stuff in the Bible is better than any song lyrics or poem or story I have ever read. It is so raw and honest and lovely and pure. There's something there that song lyrics don't have. It's so alive! I found myself wondering how Paul felt when he was actually praying that prayer. I just thought to myself... Paul was a real guy who really prayed! This guy really walked the earth. Then I thought... JESUS really walked the Earth. Now I find myself really longing to comprehend this love that Paul was praying about. Wow...
Favorites
1. "Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong."
-- i really dig the part about roots growing down into God's love ... every time I read about roots in the Word I have this really vivid picture of a weak tree that has magnificent, strong roots deeply planted into the ground. The weak tree above ground is my earthly self, but my roots are strong and grounded.
-- Another image of roots is found in Colossians chapter 2:7 "Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."
2. "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
-- Sometimes I think when I tell God of my deepest desires, I suspect that I significantly underestimate the magnitude of what He's working on in me. I make God smaller to try and understand how He works. We should never think of our lives/problems/desires/etc as too big for God to handle or turn to good for His plan.
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I dig the King James Version... my favorite translation is the New Living Translation, but I also like to read the King James version parallel to the NLT to compare how they express these awesome truths... check it out... its wildly poetic!
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of 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 by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
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I especially dig "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
I just LOVE it... "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" ... "world without end"... just so awe inspiring. The different words paint different pictures in my head and it makes me just pause... to think, catch my breath a bit, and wonder how I can even begin to grasp it. It's almost frustrating, almost overwhelming to even try to fathom "how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is."... it fills me up to where I feel as if I'm about to burst with joy, but I can't quite grasp it, can't quite reach it. My understanding of it -- just how endless God's love is -- is like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide. How I long for high tide! How I long for the tides of understanding to come in, and form lovely tidal pools so that I might bask in the absolute fullness of God's love that Paul prays about!
2 comments:
found your blog. excited to read through it!
can we play sunday by ear? I'll give you a call....may be more like dinner. that ok?
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