The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power Toward Us Who Believe
Ephesians 1:19-22: "That you may know what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."
Recently, I heard an unfortunate story about a man who purchased his first trip on a cruise experience. He scraped together his savings for this dream trip. With great delight, this man planned for his excursion. He had limited finances, so he knew he had to be careful while on board. Knowing the great expense of eating out that many meals, he brought a couple of jars of peanut butter and a couple of loaves of bread. In his mind, the investment in the cruise was enough; he could survive on peanut butter sandwiches.
That seemed like a good idea until the third day rolled around; after seeing all the sumptuous meals people were enjoying, his stomach ached for real food, decadent and delicious food. At that point, he went to the cruise staff and offered to do whatever it took to be able to eat on the ship. With great delight, the staff informed him that all his meals were included in the price of his trip. Needless to say, he enjoyed the meals from there on out and lamented the meals he missed during those first three days.
When Paul talked about the power that raised Jesus from the dead, he wanted the Ephesian believers to understand that they, too, had that same power alive and working in them. It wasn't something to long for; the power was there; it was accessible to them. They simply needed to activate the power and live in that power. The Holy Spirit is entrusted to the believer at salvation. The believer must trust the Holy Spirit, surrender to his power, and allow the Spirit to use his or her life.
Paul's great fear was that Christians lived like the man on the ship. Jesus gave abundant gifts and provisions for them, yet they lived ignorantly of those provisions. They longed for something they already had. The Lord would have them activate and enjoy the Holy Spirit.
The Lord would have you activate the Spirit, surrender to that Spirit, and enjoy the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through him, you can do great things for the Kingdom of God. Don't settle for peanut butter sandwiches when there is a great feast awaiting you!
Reflection:
Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit? Are you taking risks to build the kingdom and to activate the gifts entrusted to you? Come to the feast, partake, enjoy, and invite others to the same joy and power God has entrusted to you!
Recently, I heard an unfortunate story about a man who purchased his first trip on a cruise experience. He scraped together his savings for this dream trip. With great delight, this man planned for his excursion. He had limited finances, so he knew he had to be careful while on board. Knowing the great expense of eating out that many meals, he brought a couple of jars of peanut butter and a couple of loaves of bread. In his mind, the investment in the cruise was enough; he could survive on peanut butter sandwiches.
That seemed like a good idea until the third day rolled around; after seeing all the sumptuous meals people were enjoying, his stomach ached for real food, decadent and delicious food. At that point, he went to the cruise staff and offered to do whatever it took to be able to eat on the ship. With great delight, the staff informed him that all his meals were included in the price of his trip. Needless to say, he enjoyed the meals from there on out and lamented the meals he missed during those first three days.
When Paul talked about the power that raised Jesus from the dead, he wanted the Ephesian believers to understand that they, too, had that same power alive and working in them. It wasn't something to long for; the power was there; it was accessible to them. They simply needed to activate the power and live in that power. The Holy Spirit is entrusted to the believer at salvation. The believer must trust the Holy Spirit, surrender to his power, and allow the Spirit to use his or her life.
Paul's great fear was that Christians lived like the man on the ship. Jesus gave abundant gifts and provisions for them, yet they lived ignorantly of those provisions. They longed for something they already had. The Lord would have them activate and enjoy the Holy Spirit.
The Lord would have you activate the Spirit, surrender to that Spirit, and enjoy the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through him, you can do great things for the Kingdom of God. Don't settle for peanut butter sandwiches when there is a great feast awaiting you!
Reflection:
Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit? Are you taking risks to build the kingdom and to activate the gifts entrusted to you? Come to the feast, partake, enjoy, and invite others to the same joy and power God has entrusted to you!
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