June 22, 2017
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, ” Ephesians 3:14-16 New American Standard
You can’t be rushed and pray like this. You can’t pray these words casually. You can’t pray these words without love. If you’re going to pray like this .. you’ll find yourself changing. You will if you keep praying like this. Because Jesus is going to break those little places in you that have crusted over .. become calloused .. and put hastily on some back shelf in your heart. He’ll take the time to soften your heart .. restore tenderness .. and make the broken places whole. It might be one of the most complete prayers in the Bible. Your life is before the Father. Your heart is wide open to what He may do. And you’re asking Jesus and His Spirit to completely and totally saturate a life with His love. To do that He has to move in. And somewhere in this process you find Him setting up His home in you. He can’t hold back. He’s going to reach into those places in your life where only He can bring grace. You’ve tried but you can’t clean out your own heart. The truth is you don’t have the heart for it. But Jesus does. He knows what it feels like to feel abandoned. He knows how it feels to be all alone. And He knows what it feels like to die. Beyond all that and more Jesus knows what it is to be filled with all the fullness of God. Because He is .. all this for you. So close your eyes and pray a few words .. a sentence .. then another .. out loud .. into your own heart. May you find yourself rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. It only takes a moment …
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 New American Standard
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent with the love of Christ (kchesterp1@gmail.com)
