Today, I’m meditating on Paul’s prayer for spiritual growth in Ephesians 3:14-21. Enjoy the prayer and have a blessed day. He can do more than we can ask or think according to His power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT
14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 92:4 NIV, “For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.”
The goodness, mercy, kindness and love that God gives to us is a never ending spring of joy. He satisfies the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:16). In Him is everything we could ever need and more. God is a good Father who willingly provides for His children. He always has our best interest at heart.
I know that there are plenty of times in life where we may find ourselves wondering why God allows times of lack when His resources are never ending. We may wonder why He allows pain when He is the Great Healer. We may even question why He allows injustice to wreak havoc in the world around us, since He is the God of Justice.
I think it’s human to have questions. I also think God is big enough to handle our questions and feelings. He desires for us to be honest with Him, and freely share our hearts with Him. He doesn’t stop loving us, even during times where we struggle in our faith. He understands our weaknesses and has compassion on us.
Photo by: edwin josé vega ramos
Philippians 4:12-13 NIV, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Paul struggled too. He went through ups and downs just like we do. He knew that regardless of what he had to endure, He could rely on the strength of Jesus to carry him through. We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to ignore all our feelings. We are precious to the Lord, and He invites us to cast all our cares on Him.
Through Jesus, we have the strength we need to accomplish all we have to. He is our Source. He makes us glad! Whether in plenty or in want, we can trust in Him to carry us through.
Thank you big brother Matt @Jesusluvsall’s Blog for including me in this Share Your Passion Tag. 😁 I’m thankful for your blog. You are a kind and compassionate person who shows the love of Jesus through the work you do to help immigrants and refugees. Your testimonies of perseverance through chronic illness inspire others to not lose hope. 🕊 🕊
The goal of the #ShareYourPassion Tag, created by https://absolutelytrueconfessions.com, is for bloggers to uplift other bloggers and inspire their readers. Bloggers who are tagged are encouraged to talk about their passions outside of blogging, and how to use those passions to help others. Love this!
Rules of the #ShareYourPassion Tag: • Repost the #ShareYourPassion logo (above) on your acceptance post. • Tag the blogger’s site that nominated you. • Share a bit about your passion(s): Hobbies outside of blogging that keep you busy in your free time. What would you like to accomplish with these things? How could you use your passion(s) to be a blessing to others and show them the love of God? • Nominate ten other bloggers and spread the joy!
💕❤️One of my main passions in life is helping people. I’ve done this mostly through participating in various volunteer opportunities over the years. One of my favorites is when I volunteered at a pregnancy shelter. It was for single pregnant women. I used to stay once a week overnight at the shelter so I could offer support if any of the women went into labor during the night. I also helped provide transportation to and from prenatal appointments, and church. I felt a connection with the women since I too was a single parent. I always looked forward to spending time with them. Most importantly, being a part of this ministry gave me a chance to share the love of Jesus. 💕❤️
🤗 I’m tagging the following, if you choose to participate…
John 8:12 NIV, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus said that He is the Light of the world. He promised that when we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness. When we know Jesus, we will know Truth. His Truth keeps our hearts free from the deception that is overtaking so many in the world today. He will give us an understanding of what is right.
I came across this poem by Helen Steiner Rice:
“I Am the Light of the World”
In this sick world of hatred
and violence and sin,
Where society renounces morals
and rejects discipline,
We stumble in darkness
groping vainly for light
To distinguish the difference
between wrong and right. . .
But dawn cannot follow
this night of despair
Unless faith lights a candle
in all hearts everywhere. . .
And, warmed by the glow,
our hate melts away
And love lights the path
to a peaceful new day.
Father,
Thank you for sending us your Son to light our path each day. Help us to cling to you and your Word, and to not be dragged away by the foolish wicked schemes of the evil one. Teach us to trust in you with all of our hearts. Fill our hearts with your Light and Love. Thank you for supplying our needs and thank you for never forsaking us.
We explained to her that we had met Jerry through the singles ministry at church. She seemed astonished and became very inquisitive about His church attendance. She didn’t waste anytime asking us if we knew rather or not her Uncle had become a Christian. So we begin to share with her how Jerry had accepted Jesus as his Savior, and had become a faithful member of the singles ministry. The look on her face was priceless. I remember hearing her inhale in surprise.
It was such a thrill for me and the other group leader to be able to share the good news about Jerry with her. Although we hadn’t known Jerry very long, being able to assure her that he had chosen to give his heart to Jesus brought us so much joy.
She briefly looked around the room. Then she showed us the small Bible that she had in her hand. She said she knew that many of the family members were unsaved, and that she had asked the Lord for a chance to share His Word with them. She opened the little Bible and showed us several of the scriptures that she had highlighted. We exchanged a few more words with her, before she moved on to speak to others in the crowd.
Photo by: ryanking999
I glanced over at my friend Jerry and admired the gold cross that he was holding in his hand. Although his old physical body was lying there lifeless in the casket, I knew for certain that he was now in the presence of the Lord, with his new heavenly body. No more pain, no more hurt, and no more divorce.
I’m thankful the Lord allowed us to be standing in the right place at the right time so that we could meet Jerry’s niece. I was delighted to be a part of a moment that was so special to her…finding out about her Uncle’s new life in Jesus Christ. Jerry lost something valuable when his marriage dissolved, but he found something priceless, when he gained eternal life through Jesus.
Some people say there are many ways to God, but Jesus said this and I believe Him…
John 14:6 NIV, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
There is nothing that is too hard for God. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. He knew what Jerry needed. He’s knows what you and I need. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Romans 5:8 NKJV, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
When we are tempted to doubt God’s love for us, this verse gives us the reassurance we need. God sent His son Jesus to take our place, before we even knew we would need a Savior. God has always carried us in His heart, and knew us before we were in our mothers womb.
The love God has for us is not dependent on our actions, because He made amends for us before we were here to perform any actions.
Photo By: Andre Furtado
The love He has for us that caused Him to send Jesus to the cross to die for our sins, is the same love He has for us right now today. He ask us to trust in Him and receive His love.
It’s so simple to question God and doubt His love when we focus on our circumstances. But when we refocus on Jesus, and remember that God demonstrated His love for us through Him, it awakens our hope and strengthens our faith.
Rest in God’s love. He will never fail you. He will supply your needs.
Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
I remember the days when although I was a Christian, I was not following the Lord closely. I was in church most Sundays, listening to the sermon and singing songs just like everyone else. However, the rest of the week, I lived like I wanted to, with little or no regard for the Lord and His ways.
Photo By: Garon Piceli
When I think of His past faithfulness to me, in spite of me, my heart rejoices. I’m thankful that God was patient and kind with me as I learned what it truly meant to be committed to Jesus. It does take time to grow in the ways of the Lord, and growing in Him is something that we should always be striving to do throughout our time here on Earth. If we don’t seek Him, we won’t find Him.
Looking back and seeing how God has kept us and used the things in our lives, both good and bad, to draw us closer to Himself, is a way of understanding His eternal love for us. The things we go through may not always make sense at the time, but I’m glad He never forsakes us, and has mercy on us through it all.
Drawing Closer to Christ 