#20 2016 Devotional Eph. 3:20-21. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Ephesians 3:20-21
20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”.
These two verses are part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, this is the second prayer, the first in Ch. 1:15-21. Both prayers point back to what Paul says before and they end the chapter. What Paul is talking about before this second prayer is “God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles”. Paul was jailed at the time he wrote this letter. What is God’s plan? Paul is revealing the mystery of God’s grace to not only Israel but to all people of the world. That always was God’s plan as he revealed to Abraham, that his offspring would be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gal. 3:8). Through faith in Jesus we who follow Jesus are the children of Abraham. Now, according to Paul God works through the church of Jesus Christ to redeem the world. Verse 11 sums up God’s grace to all people: “according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”. Every obstacle both real and imagined are removed! Praise be to God!
This is the heart of Paul’s prayer: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” (v. 17b-18). May we who follow Jesus understand the depth of God’s grace and pray this prayer whenever we think about those whom the Spirit is moving closer to Christ.
We move to the verses of the week. These verses make up the benediction: to proclaim God’s blessings and/or to pray for a blessing on the people this letter is written to. This benediction is not only a blessing proclaimed, it is an encouragement to them and to us. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”. Think about that statement! With the reality of a world broken pressing in on us daily we tend to forget that God is in control and can do what is impossible for us to do even more than we can imagine. He does it in the power that is at work in us, His Holy Spirit to glorify the church in Christ because we are His Body in the world not only for today but forever and ever reaching back into eternity. What marvelous blessings we have!
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