Friday, September 3, 2010

Ephesians 3:14-21

People often ask what my favorite Bible verse is.  When I was younger, I always wondered how anyone could have a favorite verse.  There were so many from which to choose!  But I suppose that as you journey through life, you have experiences and patterns that make certain verses more meaningful to you.  And I love that different passages mean different things to every person . . . we're all different.  So this is a passage that touched me in a very special way 17 years ago and it continues to minister to me along the way.  I love it! 

I love this version of it especially . . . the New Living Translation.  I love the mental pictures it creates.  And I love "that Christ will be more and more AT HOME in your heart".  Love the "at home"!  I love that the love of Christ "is SO GREAT you will never fully understand it"!  So true.  And "he is able to accomplish INFINITELY MORE than we would ever DARE to ask or hope." He does more for us, more than we could ever imagine!  I could expound on this for pages, but maybe that will be for a later post.

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, 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 give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart as you trust in him.


May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. 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 really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.


Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.
**This is a photo I took in Orange Beach, Alabama from one of our favorite condos.  The spot down there by the rocks is where Paul (Matthew's brother) and Allysia Eppinette were married.  I've visited this beach for almost 36 years now.**