Weekend Message/Devotion
Ephesians 3:14-21
According to the Riches of HIS Glory
“According to the riches of HIS glory!” That’s some statement, isn’t it? What does it actually mean? Is it a mystery to be studied and delved into? I think it is, so let’s just do that.
We read in verses 17-19, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Just what does that mean – the width and length and depth and height? There is NO limit – the width, the length, the depth and the height go on and on into infinity – boundless- endless- eternal and full. The love of Christ cannot be boxed in, contained or in any way manipulated. You see, all the descriptive words here are about external offerings of that love. That leaves us with one area of concern: our internal acceptance and reverence of that love. It all goes back to what we believe and how we exercise that belief. I know that I say this a lot, but it bears saying it again: we can do and be or we can pretend and live behind a façade.
We get to verse 21 and read: “to Him be glory”. The glory is His. The glory is always His! In our weakness, we sometimes want to hold on to a little of the glory for ourselves. Be honest, don’t we? Give God the glory -ALL of it! It’s always heartwarming to see a major athlete or entertainer pause and point heavenward after a great performance. It’s also nice to stand at the church entrance and receive compliments on the sermon and the service. But those compliments need to be directed to the true source. A good practice for preachers is to pray before the sermon along the lines: “Almighty God, I stand before Your people to deliver Your message. I pray that although the words are mine that the message is Yours and Yours in its entirety. We seek Your blessing and anointing on its preparation, delivery and acceptance, but most of all on its application in our lives. Amen”
God’s love is limitless and non-discriminatory. If we accept the fullness of God’s love, there is absolutely no way we can contain it. It will spill out in every aspect and facet of our lives. It will flow with that width, length, depth and height that Paul shares with us today.
Ever heard these words:
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
ALL blessings! ALL creatures!
Let us pray: “Thank you Almighty God for the blessings of today and every day. Thank you for Your boundless love. We pray that each of us might be a direct and positive channel of that love. Be with us now as we depart this time of fellowship and bless us with great and greater opportunities to Love and Serve YOU by loving and serving each other.” In Jesus’ name AMEN
