The Mystery of the Fullness of God's Love

 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:15-19 ESV).

 

Sometimes I forget the “… breadth and length and height and depth” of God’s love for me. Recently I was reminded of that when I leafed through a National Park’s magazine and saw the photo of the Grand Canyon I’ve attached. Our boys were very young when we took a trip to the Grand Canyon. I was insistent that we stop and watch the sunset at the edge of the canyon. That was more difficult than I thought with three impatient youngsters in tow. Somehow, they didn’t grasp the majesty of the moment! We did stay, though I was not able to really capture the moment adequately except in my mind. I do remember how grand it really was.

 

As I sit on this snowy day in Texas to write these devotionals, my question is simple: “What does ‘the fullness of God’ mean to you?” I often wonder what would change in our lives if we began each day by reminding ourselves that all of God’s resources and love and power are ours, regardless of what might unfold in our day. I believe our foundation would grow stronger and deeper; we would respond to our world differently if we did. We certainly would fall in love with Jesus at a new level of understanding, appreciating what his death and resurrection accomplished.

 

I hope you can find a way to be still enough today to recognize this mystery as God gives us glimpses of the marvel of His love toward us. I hope you will be filled with the fullness of God in a way beyond anything you may have yet experienced!

 

The Mystery of God's Greatness

 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV).

 

I’ve never been able to attend many of the live theater performances offered in Fort Worth. However, when I have, they have always been an incredible surprise in the excellence of presentation. One in particular stands out in my memory. Mary and I were given two tickets to Cats at the Bass Performance Hall many years ago. The seats were in the third-row center stage. I was a bit skeptical that it would be entertaining, though all the folks I had talked with told me it was wonderful. When the song “Memory” was performed, I was truly moved. You might remember that "Memory" is the show tune composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Trevor Nunn based on poems by T. S. Eliot. It was written for the 1981 musical Cats, where it is sung primarily by the character Grizabella as a melancholic remembrance of her glamorous past and as a plea for acceptance. The performance delivered more than they had imagined.

 

God is like that. He always delivers more than we could possibly expect. Our reading today is the Apostle Paul’s declaration of that truth. Through Jesus, God has provided new life and amazing possibilities for us, and our Lord is able to do more than we could ever imagine in our wildest dreams. He knows every detail of our lives, and he knows the best life for us to live. There is a great mystery in that truth, yet it remains.

 

I hope you use today to simply sit still and imagine being with Jesus. Start with a Bible story you know, or read one that is new to you, and imagine what it was like to be there. What did God do? And what were the people around you doing? Immerse yourself in the details. Then, imagine what your story today could look like. Invite Jesus into your activities today and expect to have your imagination stretched.

 

The Mystery of New Life

 

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV).

 

I have been privileged to be a part of many groups called in to do various acts of ministry for people that have suffered natural disasters. Some were homes destroyed by tornadoes or hurricanes, others were people whose homes and business were damaged by simple aging. I was always reminded of the incredible gift of life that we were able to give to them with the simple tasks of reconstruction. I was also amazed at the resilience of the people who lived in these places as they continued with life, even though they were severely handicapped by the destruction left in the wake of the natural disaster.

 

In a way, this reminded me of God’s great promises for us. Even before we felt the breath of new life, when we were still separated from God because of our sin, Jesus, through his love for us, gave us the hope of becoming fully alive. His sacrifice for us gives us the challenge of becoming fully alive in him.

 

To be fully alive is to be aware that the life God calls us to is dripping with meaning (even if it doesn’t always feel that way). And we are called to work at living out that meaning in a deeper way every day.

 

The Mystery of Being Chosen

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:3-10 ESV).

 

Our dog, Teddy, is a rescue terrier. After our previous dog became so ill and died, I was hesitant to get another dog. The pain and emotional distress of such a loss, I was simply not ready to begin that journey again. Mary was ready much quicker than I. Every Saturday she would make a trip to the PetSmart where Russel Rescue was set up to assist people in adopting a dog from their kennels. I happened to working in the shop that day and received a call from her informing me she had found the dog for us. She said, “I’m coming to get you to see him. They will hold him until I get back with you.” If that sounds like I had no choice, well, Mary often needs to nudge me into action. We went and sure enough, he was ready for me to fall in love with. He is a cutie, and I do love him. He is a part of our family.

 

The Apostle Paul talks about our adoption and being chosen by God to be a part of His family in our reading today. It should inspire us that God has been pleased to create us for fellowship with him. God knew that through the sacrifice of Jesus we would become His sons and daughters. His plan for our lives is to include us in his story. It wasn’t enough that God created us and made us his image bearers; he also loves us and wants to live in relationship with us.

 

When our lives reflect the realization of all this, we display God’s glory and his love, and something changes in us. We carry ourselves with the knowledge that we belong and are part of God’s family. It is a great mystery why God chose; however, it is no mystery that He has adopted me into His family for an eternal relationship of blessing and grace.  

 

The Posture of Our Heart

 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV).

 

Some mysteries are counterintuitive. It doesn’t make sense at first glance that our posture could have anything to do with our emotions or physical health. Yet, scientific studies have proven that our posture has a huge impact on your mental and physical health. It also reveals a lot about our attitude and level of confidence. How you hold your body – often called body language – can speak louder than our words.

 

I think Paul is telling us something similar here in Ephesians. Our heart posture matters. It matters especially in our attitude of prayer. What is our mindset, and how are we spiritually positioned? Sometimes our posture in prayer may be about being on our knees, but even more important is the posture of our heart. When we submit our heart and our will to God in faith, we begin to understand our position in Christ. We know we have gone from death to life and are now seated with Christ in heavenly places (cf. Ephesians 2:6). This means we can walk in a way of life that pleases God. And because of that, we can stand firm against the evil one.

 

Prayer is more about how we think than how we are physically positioned. Remember you are talking to your best friend and confidant when you pray. God is the One who has given Himself on our behalf so that we might enjoy all the benefits of this new relationship. We have life because of Him. That’s the starting point of our prayer experience!

 

The Mystery of God's Presence

 

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, show the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. (Ephesians 3:1-5 ESV).

 

Today we begin a walk through the “mysterious things” of God. I have often remarked that life can be “magical” without using the word “magic.” There is great mystery in the spiritual realm, there is no magic. There are miracles without thinking of things in terms of magic. I know I am splitting hairs a bit as I make such a distinction; however, it is important to make such a distinction to prevent us from believing the lie of “luck” or “karma.” God is completely in control of everything in life. That is especially good news. He can be depended upon to work all things for our good. No one or no thing can make that claim.

 

The apostle Paul is introducing us to this mystery in Ephesians. We are invited to open a mystery package and peer inside to discover what God is sharing with us. There is more for us to know, and the wonder and mystery being offered to all people points to a new season in the great story of God’s love for the world. God’s plan includes everyone. God’s inheritance is for all who believe.

 

In this letter we discover that we are adopted, chosen, and called to serve shoulder to shoulder with all other followers of Jesus. We discover what it means to be saved by grace, and we are no longer strangers to God’s presence or plan. As we look more into the mystery of God, we will see how much is revealed to us for our lives. This is the encouragement we need to take our journey in stride.

The New Year - Pt. 6

 

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11 ESV).

 

Some years ago, an advertising jingle for a popular candy asked, “Do you eat the red ones last?” There was really nothing special about the red ones. They were candy-coated chocolates, and the red ones tasted the same as all the other colors of candy-coated chocolates in the pack. But the commercial suggested that the red ones were special, or the best, and it made people think they should save the best for last.

 

In our reading today, the banquet master at the wedding at Cana did not know who had provided the new wine. He just knew that it was better than the wine that had been served earlier. He also knew that this was unusual. Most hosts served the best wine first, but at this wedding the best was served last.

 

Though it was unusual at a wedding in those days, this miracle of Jesus suggests something about the kingdom of God. The best is yet to come. The blessings we experience in our life with God, the goodness of God’s creation, the joys of life, the consolation that comes from God’s presence, the freedom that comes with forgiveness—all these are just a taste of the new life God has promised in Jesus. As the new year begins, we look forward in hope, for God saves the best for last!

 

The New Year - Pt. 5

 

[Jesus said] “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42 ESV).

 

Think about the events that surrounded Jesus’ birth. These events give us great insight into how we may navigate the New Year. Remember, Jesus’ birth and life doesn't fit our definitions of royalty. Poverty, scorn, gossip, even murder surround Jesus' birth. All these events hint that the way of the Christmas child leads to the greatest of all events: the cross and ultimate resurrection. Jesus' death on the cross would cast a long shadow back upon the manger in Bethlehem, yet it is the only way to see the great gift of eternal life.

 

In our reading today we see how Jesus’ life would live on in the lives of His followers. What makes the Christian faith different from all other religions is that it proclaims the good news of the cross. The Christian faith has the boldness to declare that through His death the world was reconciled to God. And the Christian faith has the audacity to declare that those who are Jesus' disciples should take up the cross of discipleship. Suffering is not only redemptive in the life of Jesus. It is redemptive in our own lives as well. Jesus will use our sufferings to establish his kingdom, witness to his gospel, and work greater holiness in our personal lives.

 

During the coming days of this New Year be intentional about how you face each part of your journey. Following Jesus will not always be a pleasant stroll down a shady path. There may be times that seem rocky and steep. During those times, remember His promise to every believer. You will in no way lose your “reward.” Your good is guaranteed and secured by His work on the cross and in His resurrection from the dead!

 

The New Year - Pt. 4

 

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:2-5 ESV).

 

It is no secret in my family that my taste in movies and television is a bit odd. I like science fiction, action, thrillers, and romantic comedies. Specifically in the latter genre, I like Hallmark movies. When you combine one of the other genres with Hallmark, it makes a winner for me! Hallmark movies often feature a character who returns to their hometown to take care of some family business. The movies are known for their heartwarming endings and their warm-and-fuzzy sentiment. They always have a happy ending.

 

Now, how does this introduce today’s next installment in our study of moving into the New Year? Well, our text for today reminds us, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." God often presents us with opportunities, but we often let them slip by because we're not wise enough to see them for what they are.

 

The apostle Paul says we are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). God often places good works before us in the form of opportunities to share our faith. But we need to be wise and willing enough to make the most of those opportunities. As this year draws to a close and we enter a new year, we need to remember that each new day brings opportunities to serve the Lord and express our faith to others, sometimes in strange and different situations.

 

God has already written a happy ending for our story. That is guaranteed. To make the most of it we should be intentional about following His “script.” We are living a Hallmark Movie! Enjoy the ride!

 

The New Year - Pt. 3

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV).

 

The chapter before our reading today (Hebrews 11) provides an interesting list of the faithful men and women in biblical history. These are people who were able to see living possibilities where others only saw failure and little hope, who saw victory where others saw defeat, who saw what God could do when others saw the impossible. They not only saw with eyes of faith, but they also acted on that faith.

 

Each person mentioned here understood faith as a verb, as a spiritual muscle that allowed them to act. Faith helped them persevere even amid difficult circumstances—like Joseph in Egypt. They were able to step out into the unknown with courage and to take risks—like Rahab and Gideon. It shouldn’t surprise us where this list ends: with “Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Jesus, Prince of peace. Jesus, Immanuel (“God with us”). Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords!

 

These men and women of faith, along with all those who are the children of God who have died, look on from heaven, watching our progress, cheering us on to greater faith. They have proven their hope. It has been fulfilled as they now have eternity ahead of them without any possibility of defeat or challenge.

 

As we look forward to a new year and the journey of life ahead of us, we can look back at people who have lived by faith, spiritual ancestors in Jesus’ extended family and many others who have been welcomed into the family of God. We can be encouraged by their stories. Even more, we can look forward to the One who looks encouragingly back at us, the One who came to die so that we could live with him forever.

 

The New Year - Pt. 2

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, band I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV).

 

Happy New Year! As I wrote yesterday, my prayer and hope is that each of you will be able to navigate this year with hope and encouragement in every circumstance you may experience in your journey. This means we begin with the relationship we have with Jesus, guaranteed by the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwell within our spirit. That takes me to our reading today. It is one of the great promises God has for all His people.

 

The birth of Jesus was unusual in many ways. It was inauspicious and relatively quiet, except for the shepherds who heard the angels! I don’t blame people for missing what happened in the small town of Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. Who would have thought that the Lord of heaven and earth would come into the world as a child born in a stable!

 

So, as we close the chapter on 2024 and turn the page to a new year, we might find ourselves remembering some of the triumphs and trials of the past year. Even if you have had some wonderful successes in the past twelve months, you can probably remember some low points as well. As you enter a new year, I hope you can remember that God’s plans have always been to prosper his people. He can transform ordinary events and difficult trials into key moments that help his plans to prosper. He is not out to harm us, but the dark moments we experience can be part of the most important lessons to help us grow nearer to him.

 

God has a way of saving his world that we may find hard to understand. He introduced his Son into the world and brought about our salvation in a way that could easily be overlooked. And yet, he has changed the world, and his kingdom keeps growing. That same God comes into our lives and draws us into his plans for a hope-filled future! Trust His promise of goodness in our lives!