Ephesians 3:17-19 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The book of Ephesians is named after the City of Ephesus. At it's height, Ephesus was the most important city along the coast of Asia Minor. Remember 230 cities dotted the coastline of Asia Minor. Ephesus was the queen among those coastal communities. But then the harbor began filling up with sludge and sediment and they no longer could boast of their beautiful harbor. However, they had one claim to fame and that was the magnificent temple of Diana. People came from all over to visit this splendid shrine that also served as a bank in which cities and kings deposited and withdrew funds.
The Church of Ephesus had a small beginning. When Paul visited there were only twelve believers in that city and they had been won to the Lord by Apollos. But Apollos was not aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, Paul began teaching about the Holy Spirit. For three months Paul taught on the Holy Spirit but the Jews hardened their hearts and refused to believe the gospel. You will read of spectacular miracles happening in Ephesus because that was needed in order to get through to the people to get their attention. This Book speaks of: the eternal plan of God for the Christian believer, the life of the Christian believer, the walk of the Christian believer, the warfare of the Christian believer and the verses at the top of the page refer to the eternal purpose of God for the Christian believer.
Paul is saying in this letter, to the Ephesians and to us, that we are not just human beings - we carry in us Christ himself. It is time to see ourselves as vessels of honor that God, through His Son, chose to live in. Christ is to rule and reign in our hearts by faith. That word dwell means a permanent place not a temporary place. Christ is to take up permanent residence, to enter, to settle down and be at home in our hearts. Our bodies are the temple of God and we are to respect God in us by allowing Him to live in us and through us. We are so blessed that God is in us and not in animals or wood or in the air. His love for us could not live anywhere else but in His children and that is a privilege and must be appreciated as such.
God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to save us. God loved us even before we loved Him. We must understand the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God. The love of God is so broad and wide that He wants everyone to be saved. He will never drive away anyone who comes to Him. His love is so wide that He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants everyone to repent of their sins and come to Him. There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than ninety-nine righteous persons who think they do not need to repent.
The Bible teaches that when we are saved through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become children of God. The Bible says that we are part of the family of God because God has adopted us. The love of God is so long that it lasts forever. It is an eternal love. The Lord Jesus loved His disciples till the very end. The love of man may change and turn into hatred but the love of God stays the same and lasts for all eternity.
Some things for you to think about today:
Remember, this life is short, things can change in the blink of an eye so don’t waste it even one minute. One day when you stand before God, He’s not going to be impressed or pleased if He asks what you did to tell others about Him and you say Lord, sometimes I went to church on a Sunday morning, I thought that was enough. Do everything you can for the Lord, take advantage of every opportunity that comes to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. May each of us be enabled by the Holy Spirit to share the truth of the Gospel with others.
We should not defile our bodies because God dwells in us. And not only that, we are one with the Lord in our spirit. Did you catch that? Our Spirit and the Lord's Spirit are one. It's not possible to separate our Spirit from the Lord's once we become a child of God by accepting the gift of salvation. The Lord paid a high price for us, when He laid down His life for us. This is why the WORD of God says that we have been bought at a price. We are to honor God with our bodies and flee from anything that will make us fall into sin.
When Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to believers, He promised that the trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, would all three come and indwell believers.
Can I get an AMEN?
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The book of Ephesians is named after the City of Ephesus. At it's height, Ephesus was the most important city along the coast of Asia Minor. Remember 230 cities dotted the coastline of Asia Minor. Ephesus was the queen among those coastal communities. But then the harbor began filling up with sludge and sediment and they no longer could boast of their beautiful harbor. However, they had one claim to fame and that was the magnificent temple of Diana. People came from all over to visit this splendid shrine that also served as a bank in which cities and kings deposited and withdrew funds.
The Church of Ephesus had a small beginning. When Paul visited there were only twelve believers in that city and they had been won to the Lord by Apollos. But Apollos was not aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, Paul began teaching about the Holy Spirit. For three months Paul taught on the Holy Spirit but the Jews hardened their hearts and refused to believe the gospel. You will read of spectacular miracles happening in Ephesus because that was needed in order to get through to the people to get their attention. This Book speaks of: the eternal plan of God for the Christian believer, the life of the Christian believer, the walk of the Christian believer, the warfare of the Christian believer and the verses at the top of the page refer to the eternal purpose of God for the Christian believer.
Paul is saying in this letter, to the Ephesians and to us, that we are not just human beings - we carry in us Christ himself. It is time to see ourselves as vessels of honor that God, through His Son, chose to live in. Christ is to rule and reign in our hearts by faith. That word dwell means a permanent place not a temporary place. Christ is to take up permanent residence, to enter, to settle down and be at home in our hearts. Our bodies are the temple of God and we are to respect God in us by allowing Him to live in us and through us. We are so blessed that God is in us and not in animals or wood or in the air. His love for us could not live anywhere else but in His children and that is a privilege and must be appreciated as such.
God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to save us. God loved us even before we loved Him. We must understand the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God. The love of God is so broad and wide that He wants everyone to be saved. He will never drive away anyone who comes to Him. His love is so wide that He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants everyone to repent of their sins and come to Him. There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than ninety-nine righteous persons who think they do not need to repent.
The Bible teaches that when we are saved through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become children of God. The Bible says that we are part of the family of God because God has adopted us. The love of God is so long that it lasts forever. It is an eternal love. The Lord Jesus loved His disciples till the very end. The love of man may change and turn into hatred but the love of God stays the same and lasts for all eternity.
Some things for you to think about today:
- Do you speak about how God the Father loves you?
- Do you share the Love of Jesus with others?
- Do you allow the Holy Spirit to use the gifts and talents that God has given you?
- Are you teaching others what it is to be a follower of Christ?
- What kind of picture does your life paint for the people you should be trying to lead to Jesus?
- Do your friends and family look at your life and ask, what’s so great about following Jesus?
- Are you proclaiming by the way you live, the way you speak, the way you act that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior?
- When was the last time you told somebody about Jesus?
- When was the last time you told someone they needed to know Jesus as their Savior?
- When was the last time you invited someone to a church service?
- When was the last time you realized, that you have a God given responsibility to tell others about who is supposed to be the most important person in your life?
Remember, this life is short, things can change in the blink of an eye so don’t waste it even one minute. One day when you stand before God, He’s not going to be impressed or pleased if He asks what you did to tell others about Him and you say Lord, sometimes I went to church on a Sunday morning, I thought that was enough. Do everything you can for the Lord, take advantage of every opportunity that comes to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. May each of us be enabled by the Holy Spirit to share the truth of the Gospel with others.
We should not defile our bodies because God dwells in us. And not only that, we are one with the Lord in our spirit. Did you catch that? Our Spirit and the Lord's Spirit are one. It's not possible to separate our Spirit from the Lord's once we become a child of God by accepting the gift of salvation. The Lord paid a high price for us, when He laid down His life for us. This is why the WORD of God says that we have been bought at a price. We are to honor God with our bodies and flee from anything that will make us fall into sin.
When Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to believers, He promised that the trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, would all three come and indwell believers.
Can I get an AMEN?
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