"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. 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."Paul's prayer is that since God has Sovereign control over everything, we should look to Jesus because He is the fullness of God, essentially the fullness of God Dwelling in human form/flesh. We look to Jesus for strength to understand the vast love, grace, mercy and Sovereignty of God. Not only is Jesus the example we look to, but the very source of who and what we are looking to. Paul's desire is that we all would be filled with the fullness of God, receiving it because we have experienced the love of Jesus that surpasses all human knowledge.
This work is clearly done by God, through Jesus, imparted to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we realize that we have no part in the "doing" or "work" it frees us up to focus on God as ultimate. He will do the work through us as vessels when He's ready, and how He desires. Our responsibility is to continually look to Jesus for everything, realizing that God works through Jesus to impart what he has for us.
Paul's encouragement is for us to be strengthened with God's power (by keeping Him Ultimate in our lives) so that three things can happen in our lives:
1) So that Jesus will Dwell in our hearts through Faith.
Jesus wants to take up residence in our lives, and Paul prays that we would desire to have Jesus dwell in us. The motivation is for loving relationship, the outcome is a deeper relationship and understanding of who Jesus is and what faith in Jesus looks like in our lives.
2) So that we can comprehend the love of Jesus.
Again, the driving factor is love. When Jesus begins to dwell in us, we begin to experience the amazing depths of God's essence. When we realize how much God loves us, how much He sacrificed when Jesus had to die for me and my sins, so that I could be reconciled back to God, I have a deeper love for others. No sacrifice is greater than Jesus' sacrifice and therefore (because I have personally experienced His love) I should desire to love others regardless of what they have done to me. Through the working of the Spirit, we are enabled and empowered to love in this sacrificial way, which draws us into partnership with God in His mission of reconciling the world.
3) So that we may be filled up to all the Fullness of God.
When we experience the fullness of God, it leads to a greater understanding of God and his works. Experiencing the fullness of God brings us to a realization of who we are, who Jesus is, what God has done for us through Jesus, and how we are empowered by the Spirit to live out the reality of God being ultimate in our lives. God wants to give us understanding of spiritual matters, He wants us to know Him deeper and fuller, and He desires to equip us for mission. Some people believe that God doesn't want us to know things, yet Paul makes it very clear that God desires to teach us and for us to learn more about Him. This brings God great glory and honor, and makes Godliness a reachable goal.
Final Thought– Try to understand and experience how powerful God truly is. Rest in His Sovereignty, knowing that His will will be done, and that it will be perfect. Truly purse and desire God's glory, and you will find yourself filled with the Fullness of God.
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