May Christ Dwell in your Heart
May Christ Dwell in your Heart
We continue to study Paul’s prayer in chapter 3 for the Ephesian Church. Paul has prayed two significant prayers in the Epistle to the Ephesians. The first was in chapter 1 as follows:
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[c] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
The second significant prayer of Paul for the Ephesians is in the current chapter 3 of our study.
11 according to the eternal purpose which He (God the Father) accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[c] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 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.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
What an effective prayer. Notice Paul kneeling down. When was the last time you kneed down to pray vs. 14? I am guilty of that. There is something about kneeling to pray. It is the ultimate position of surrender and letting go. Paul is handing the Ephesians to God because only God can do what he is praying for. We are not about religiously kneeing but just from time to time, do it “to the Father of our Lord Jesus”. Of course we can pray in any position and anywhere and anytime; but kneeling in private when no one else is looking is unto the Father. It is also a position of blessing when a son or daughter kneels in front of his/her father; while seating or standing the father stretches his hands and confer blessings. I am not starting the “First Church of the Kneeling Downs”. Let’s try kneeling when we can to pray. If Paul kneeled to pray, I can do so too. It is reverence and humility in love to our Father.
Last week we meditated on the portion of the prayer (vs.16) for strength to the discouraged who is about to lose heart. May God continue to strengthen us by the power of His Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today we ask that God will answer the prayer for us, “17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”. This is the highest goal of prayer for any of us and for any person created and living. I do not desire anything else but that Christ may dwell (live and have a permanent home) in my heart. For Christ to dwell, we must make room for Him. Paul already told us, “Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” Ephesians 2:20-21. We are being built for His dwelling place. God himself is doing the construction and will excavate all the dirt that may be in the way that could inhibit Christ’s dwelling in us. It is sometimes painful but the end product is great just like a finished house. Keep in mind that I am “under construction” for Christ’s dwelling. The building process and the dwelling (living in) are happening at the same time.
We are also told how this will happen. Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith. We know that our faith comes from the hearing of the Word of God. So if this was Math class, we will deduce that the Word of God in us is the Christ in us. After all, Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1). Paul in vs. 19 puts more emphasis “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”. Christ is the fullness of God. You see the trinity at display here? When you and I have the fullness of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit, there is no more room for the fullness of self and self-pity. We must accept Christ by faith – submitting, trusting, and relying in His Word.
What is the “fullness of God”? What are you full of? Listen to Paul again in Colossians 2: 8-10 “8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power”. Are you rich in social media and but lacking in “God’s Media – His Word”? Let’s not be cheated and deceived by the vanity of the present information age. We need TRUTH of the Word and not so much information. “And you shall know the Truth, and (only) the TRUTH (Jesus) shall make you free” (John 8:32) from every bondage of sin and death and yoke in your life. Amen
In another place Paul said, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” Colossians 3:16. This is my prayer today for you and for me. Let’s allow God’s word work His way in us like the yeast that over takes the dough and causes it to rise. Let the word influence our thinking, our beliefs, our decisions, our acting and doing. Do you have a study plan for reading the Word? We have to get it in first. There are many tools out there. Check out: www.BlueLetterBible.org.
Everyone one of us wants to get rich. Let’s be rich in the Word of God seeking Him first and “all these things shall be added unto you” Matthew 6:33. Are you Rich? Is Christ dwelling and living in your heart?
May Christ dwell in your heart through faith. Please pray this for me and for all persons in your life. Amen.
We continue to study Paul’s prayer in chapter 3 for the Ephesian Church. Paul has prayed two significant prayers in the Epistle to the Ephesians. The first was in chapter 1 as follows:
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[c] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
The second significant prayer of Paul for the Ephesians is in the current chapter 3 of our study.
11 according to the eternal purpose which He (God the Father) accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[c] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 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.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
What an effective prayer. Notice Paul kneeling down. When was the last time you kneed down to pray vs. 14? I am guilty of that. There is something about kneeling to pray. It is the ultimate position of surrender and letting go. Paul is handing the Ephesians to God because only God can do what he is praying for. We are not about religiously kneeing but just from time to time, do it “to the Father of our Lord Jesus”. Of course we can pray in any position and anywhere and anytime; but kneeling in private when no one else is looking is unto the Father. It is also a position of blessing when a son or daughter kneels in front of his/her father; while seating or standing the father stretches his hands and confer blessings. I am not starting the “First Church of the Kneeling Downs”. Let’s try kneeling when we can to pray. If Paul kneeled to pray, I can do so too. It is reverence and humility in love to our Father.
Last week we meditated on the portion of the prayer (vs.16) for strength to the discouraged who is about to lose heart. May God continue to strengthen us by the power of His Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today we ask that God will answer the prayer for us, “17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”. This is the highest goal of prayer for any of us and for any person created and living. I do not desire anything else but that Christ may dwell (live and have a permanent home) in my heart. For Christ to dwell, we must make room for Him. Paul already told us, “Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” Ephesians 2:20-21. We are being built for His dwelling place. God himself is doing the construction and will excavate all the dirt that may be in the way that could inhibit Christ’s dwelling in us. It is sometimes painful but the end product is great just like a finished house. Keep in mind that I am “under construction” for Christ’s dwelling. The building process and the dwelling (living in) are happening at the same time.
We are also told how this will happen. Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith. We know that our faith comes from the hearing of the Word of God. So if this was Math class, we will deduce that the Word of God in us is the Christ in us. After all, Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1). Paul in vs. 19 puts more emphasis “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”. Christ is the fullness of God. You see the trinity at display here? When you and I have the fullness of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit, there is no more room for the fullness of self and self-pity. We must accept Christ by faith – submitting, trusting, and relying in His Word.
What is the “fullness of God”? What are you full of? Listen to Paul again in Colossians 2: 8-10 “8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power”. Are you rich in social media and but lacking in “God’s Media – His Word”? Let’s not be cheated and deceived by the vanity of the present information age. We need TRUTH of the Word and not so much information. “And you shall know the Truth, and (only) the TRUTH (Jesus) shall make you free” (John 8:32) from every bondage of sin and death and yoke in your life. Amen
In another place Paul said, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” Colossians 3:16. This is my prayer today for you and for me. Let’s allow God’s word work His way in us like the yeast that over takes the dough and causes it to rise. Let the word influence our thinking, our beliefs, our decisions, our acting and doing. Do you have a study plan for reading the Word? We have to get it in first. There are many tools out there. Check out: www.BlueLetterBible.org.
Everyone one of us wants to get rich. Let’s be rich in the Word of God seeking Him first and “all these things shall be added unto you” Matthew 6:33. Are you Rich? Is Christ dwelling and living in your heart?
May Christ dwell in your heart through faith. Please pray this for me and for all persons in your life. Amen.
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