The Power of Christ

READ Ephesians 3:13-19

Ephesians 3:13-19 (New International Version)

¹³ I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

 ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The Apostle Paul frequently wrote about the need to rely upon Jesus Christ's strength. He passed on to his readers a promise that the Lord had given him: "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9 nlt). Paul was a great Christian leader, but in God's eyes, he was no more deserving of grace than any other believer. You and I can have the same confidence in the Lord's power as this courageous first-century missionary.

When Paul received Jesus as his Savior, he was adopted as God' son. Therefore, he had all the privileges that go with being a reborn child: his sins were forgiven (Acts 2:38), he was set apart for the Lord's service (Galatians 1:15), and he received the Holy Spirit (John 4:17). Paul was an effective servant because the Spirit would release power into his life whenever God had a purpose for him to fulfill. Consider Paul's jail time. The Holy Spirit provided physical and mental stamina so he could withstand the rigors of imprisonment.

At the same time, He burdened the hearts of other believers to provide for Paul's material needs (Philippians 4:18). Most importantly, God's Spirit expanded the apostle's ministry by giving him the courage to speak of Jesus with his Roman guards (Philippians 1:13).

The apostle relied upon God for strength and consequently never gave up on his faith. We serve the same all-powerful Lord, which means we have no excuse for running away from His plan either. His Spirit dwells in us, ready to release power when we obey our Father's call.

- Charles Stanley