“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:17-18)
Another day, another power prayer. Have you noticed how all of Paul’s prayers for his Christians friends in Ephesus come back to the issue of power? He wants them to have supernatural sight to see the power they have from God. He wants them to have the power to keep Jesus in the center of their lives. And now he asks God to give them the power to somehow, some way understand Jesus’ giant love for them.
Most people don’t think of following Jesus as an experience that involves and requires great power. Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek, right? To forgive as forgiven? To honor others above themselves as Jesus did? Isn’t Christianity all about giving up power?
No. Read that paragraph again. Following Jesus is all about giving up self – and that takes enormous power. Giving up self requires us to believe that we are loved by a Savior good enough and strong enough to provide everything we need while we’re not focused on ourselves. To understand and receive a high, long, deep, wide love like that takes off-the-charts power.
Think: Do you think of faithful Christians as powerful people? Why or why not?
Pray: Thank God for rooting and grounding you in love. Thank him for the endless love of Jesus.
Do: Pray today’s passage for each of the 6 people on your list. (See Monday’s “Do” section for details.)