Special thanks to Larry for bringing a wonderful lesson last Sunday. The idea of personal responsibility is a daunting subject simply because . . . well . . . it is personal. It demands us to honestly evaluate ourselves in light of the “perfect law of liberty”, with a desire to “continue in it” (James 1:25), not because we seek to earn something; but rather, because we have come to understand what has been done for us through Christ. (remember Romans 5:8-10) It would seem reasonable that in our pursuit of greater personal responsibility, there must also be a deepening of one’s understanding of God’s love.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He
would grant you, according to the riches of His glory . . .
Ephesians 3:14-16
What was Paul so eager to pray to God for, to help those in Ephesus? We know from 1:15 that Paul had heard of their “faith in the Lord Jesus” and of their “love for all the saints.” Even so, he prayed that they would be “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17) even more than they were. He yearned that they could “be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height” of God’s love for them is (Ephesians 3:18); that is, “to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:19)
I wonder what would happen to us all, if we made it our personal endeavor to seek to understand how much God loves us . . . loves me. Paul gives us some insight to the outcome when he pens these words, “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19) The more we understand His love, the more we will be compelled to serve Him and bring glory to His name.
Dennis
Click here to listen to the sermon Being Filled with His Love
