NT Fire Starters – Day 268: Ephesians 3:1-21
READ: Ephesians 3:1-21
THINK: Do you have a good imagination? Do you ever find yourself dreaming of “what could be”–if you dared to venture into the unknown? Think of your biggest dreams and deepest desires. Now consider this: none of those thoughts can compare with what God is able to do in and through you. This doesn’t mean that His plans will resemble your expectations or that the course of your life will follow the route you imagined. What God chooses to do with you may or may not appear to be a big deal to other people in this life. But from God’s perspective, your life can have an extraordinary impact on eternity.
RESPOND: What is “the mystery” Paul refers to several times in verses 3–9, and how has it been revealed to us? (See 3:4 note.) How would you define or describe God’s “grace”? (See 3:7 note and the article on Faith and Grace, p. 1590.) In what way did the apostle Paul receive and experience God’s grace, and in what way have you experienced it personally? In what way have God’s wisdom and eternal purposes been made known through Christ’s church? (See 3:10 note.) What does it mean to be strengthened “with power through the Spirit in your inner being”? (See 3:16-19 note.) What does this enable you to do? What are the implications of God’s people “being rooted and established in love”? (See 3:17 note.) In what way does this give God’s people power? In what way does Jesus’ love surpass anything we could comprehend or imagine? How should the fact that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” affect your faith and prayer life?
PRAY: Give God thanks for His grace–His undeserved favor and unearned benefits–in your life. Thank Him for the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit and for the opportunity to come to Him with freedom and confidence. Thank Jesus for His incomparable love, and ask Him to help you share that love with others today.
ACT: Think of something you’ve been asking God to help you with. Have you done your part to bring this request to reality? God can go far beyond your expectations, but you must back up your faith with practical action. Take a bold and deliberate step today and let God involve you in the answer to your prayer.