The Love Of Christ
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom
every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out
of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in
your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 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, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that
you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now
to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever
and ever! Amen.
Ephesians
3:14-21
Some years after the tragic loss of
their first spouses, Robbie and Sabrina fell in love, married, and combined
their two families. They built a new home and named it Havilah (a Hebrew
word meaning “writhing in pain” and “to bring forth”). It signifies the making
of something beautiful through pain. The couple says they didn’t build the home
to forget their past but “to bring life from the ashes, to celebrate hope.” For
them, “it is a place of belonging, a place to celebrate life and where we all
cling to the promise of a future.”
That’s a beautiful picture of our
life in Jesus. He pulls our lives from the ashes and becomes for us a place of
belonging. When we receive Him, He makes His home in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17). God adopts us into His
family through Jesus so that we belong to Him (1:5–6). Although we’ll go
through painful times, He can use even those to bring good purposes in our
lives.
Daily we have opportunity to grow in
our understanding of God as we enjoy His love and celebrate what He’s given us.
In Him, there’s a fullness to life that we couldn’t have without Him (3:19).
And we have the promise that this relationship will last forever. Jesus is our
place of belonging, our reason to celebrate life, and our hope now and forever.
In
what ways has Jesus changed your life? What does it mean for you to belong
to Jesus?
I’m grateful
that I belong to You, Jesus. Thank You for a life of hope for now and forever.
Our Daily
Bread – February 21, 2020