“I pray for you constantly, asking God, the Glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called – His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else – not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the Church. And the Church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.” – Ephesians 1:17-23
I love Paul’s prayer at the beginning of the book of Ephesians and his implied persistence that he has for the believers he was writing to - that they may know Christ better.
Knowing Christ is the most important thing that any person could behold. Growing in spiritual wisdom and understand of His character, His kindness, His commands, His promises, His love, all of Who He is! The abundant life in Christ opens us up to a rich and glorious inheritance that begins now, not just an inheritance when we leave this earth (although that’s part of it), but an inheritance that is opened up to us the moment we die to ourselves. When we lay down all we’re striving for and seek the things God has for us. When we surrender our motives, attitudes, passions, plans and dreams to a King Who not only has good planned for us, He’s equipped us with all the resources that we need to fulfill what He’s planned.
When we know Who Christ is, and who we are in Christ, then we understand what we have to offer the world. As the Church, the most important gift we can give to others is to share our knowledge of Christ – our testimony of how He’s changed our lives. This is the incredible greatness of God’s power that each of us who are in Christ have been given. Power through the Holy Spirit that supplies us with boldness at just the right moment. Courage in the face of fear. Compassion when we’re lacking words. Strength in our weakness. Kindness, forgiveness, help and hope. Prayers that cause a shift in the spiritual realm. Power that heals, restores, and raises the dead. Power so Holy, that darkness bows down to it. In the name of Jesus, we behold a rich and glorious inheritance.
May we be women who continually pray as Paul prayed. That we may know Christ more and more, and that we would be faithful to pray that others may know Him too. Amen? Amen.
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