Filled with the Fullness
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from 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 through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ might 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. (Eph 3:14-19 NKJ V)
This passage packs quite a punch doesn't it? As I was praying for a verse to give to a friend, I came across this one. As I've said before on this blog, my heart's desire is to encourage others to see what God has to offer each one of us in His word, for comfort, strength and guidance. What treasures lie therein! The biggest treasure of being a Christian - next to eternal life, of course - is the working of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives to enable us to achieve through Him more than we can possibly imagine. This verse says alot about the inner strength God gives us through Christ, His son.
Our apostle Paul is praying in this verse for the Christians at the church in Ephesus. Think about how fervently Paul prayed for his flock. Can you see him bowing his knees, praying with all of his might for their character? Notice how Christians get their strength from God. Paul prays for them...
"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man," (Eph 3:16 NKJV)
We are strengthened by God through the Holy Spirit. And not just slightly strengthened, but strengthened with might. Do you realize how much strength God can give you? According to Webster, might is defined as follows:
- Great or superior strength, power, force or vigor
- Strength or power of any degree.
Keep in mind that this is not the physical-I-am-a-great-body-builder kind of strength. This is internal strength. The kind that we need to endure the challenges that life throws at us. The kind that enables us to stand no matter how hard the wind blows in the storms of our lives.
Comprehending all of this takes faith doesn't it? With Christ dwelling in our hearts because of our faith in Him, we can be rooted and grounded in love - God's love. We can rest in the security of a perfect love from a perfect God that knows no limits with us. This is the kind of love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18) because if we trust in God's love for us completely, we will trust in His complete sovereignty over our lives. Consequently, we can have mighty strength.
I wish I could fully comprehend all that God is. The width, length, depth and height (Eph 3:18) of His majesty is so much more than our small minds can even imagine. But if we can just understand how much we can't get our arms around, doesn't that help us understand the magnitude of who He is? Shouldn't this help us realize the limitless supply of His power to us to accomplish in us what He pleases? I think so.
How can we possess the fullness of God (Eph 3:19) - or be filled with it - if it is too big for us to even comprehend? Is that "fullness" the manifestation of joy and peace in our lives? I doubt that the "fullness" is merely a knowledge of the power to do anything we please because we are so strengthened with might. That, to me, might lead to a teeny bit of pride. However, we must have confidence that God can accomplish through us all that He is asking us to do. That, coupled with understanding God's love, is what I think about having the "fullness" of God.
I am thankful that God preserved these words of Paul from so long ago. They give me hope that no matter where I am in this journey of life, that God will help me through it if I let Him. Thank You, Lord, for providing us with Your power supply!!