For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV)
I’m returning to a reading we have had recently today so we may look at another key truth encouraging us in our journey. I’ve centered my focus around a specific word that the apostle uses in the middle of this passage. He writes that his prayer has been for them to be “strengthened with power… so that Christ may dwell in their hearts” (v. 16). The word translated “dwell” conveys the meaning of “being at home”. The picture I’ve attached is one of my childhood homes in Galveston, Texas. The two-story blue and gray building was a grocery/meat market on the first floor and a two-bedroom residence on the second floor. It was built well to have survived several hurricanes through the years. But, the quality of the construction did not make it a “home.” That came from the feeling of security and peace I experienced there. I always knew that my Dad would be there; and, if I was with him I was always safe and loved.
In Ephesians the apostle Paul is asking us to imagine going deeper than the polite relationship we may tend to have with Jesus. Christ wants us to live fully. He wants us to be able to settle in and feel at home in our relationship with him. He wants us to know how much he loves and cares for us—and that will change how we live out our faith each day. He wants us to be grounded in the truth of his love so that we are not afraid to access all the power and strength he has for us.
No matter what our circumstances are, Christ is always offering all of himself for us. Today is a good day to stretch our faith and our imagination to find all the dimensions of the relationship Christ is offering. That will ease your journey!