Monday, February 20, 2012

Ephesians 3:14-15

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,


In repeating his opening phrase, Paul ends his explanation of the great mystery of God bringing all people together into the body of Christ and resumes his original prayer. “I bow my knees” indicates his humility; at the time most prayers were delivered standing.

No matter what our nationality, language, or even whether in heaven or earth, we all have the same name. We are all Christians – “little Christs” – and we all have one Redeemer & are one family. (Many commentators suppose “heaven” may refer to angels. Although angels cannot be “Christians” or experience salvation, they are part of the same community with the Trinity at the head of the family.)

About these verses John Macarthur said, “Inner strength... begins here… Paul starts by saying, ‘For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father…’ [B]ecause of who you are, because of your resources, because of the specs of your Spiritual engine, because you have so much capacity, because you are who you are, because you have available to you all that is available, because of this position in Christ, I pray that you'll get turned on. There's nothing worse than a Christian with all this power just sitting there. It's got to get going, that's what he's saying, ‘I'm praying to the Father, the Father of whom the whole family in Heaven and Earth is named, our Father.’ And he's talking about the Christian family, ‘the church triumphant’ that's with Christ and ‘the church militant’ that's alive on Earth.’ The whole family of God has a common Father, and it's to that Father that I bow the knee to pray for you." Paul prays for us.

“You know, Paul prayed a lot for the believers. And he always prayed for their Spiritual needs, not their physical ones. And what he's concerned about here is that they would really know the fullness of the power of God...that they would see released in their lives that power that God can use to do ‘exceeding, abundantly above all they can ask or think.’”

I pray that your engine is turned on today through the power of God!

1 comment:

  1. I really relate to the engine analogy. Very humbling to know we have God's power within us! We just have to turn the key!!!

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