February 20

Glorious Riches

"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." Eph. 3:16, 17

Paul requested that God give to the early church out of His glorious riches because he had learned that the Father would act according to his ability to give. Over and over again, God has shown his people that He wishes to shower them with the glorious riches that are His. There is no spiritual desire that is too great for God to grant to his children. He has abundant wealth and He freely gives to us from that wealth. It is from this wealth that He gives to us strength and power through the Holy Spirit. It is Divine strength which the Christian needs to get through the trials of life and it is Divine power that will lift us up out of the miry clay. Paul’s prayer displayed his belief that God would give to his church from His abundance. Paul desired more for the early church than the presence of Christ in the believer’s lives, he longed for Christ to dwell there. To "dwell" means to be completely at home in, thus Paul is saying that his desire was that Christ might be perfectly at home in our hearts. The scripture goes on to tell us that Christ can only dwell in our hearts through faith...for without the faith that He is our Lord and Savior he cannot dwell within. Have we made our hearts ready for our Savior to dwell therein? Is it a place where love abounds and grace freely flows? Unless we can say "yes" to these questions, we are living less than the life that Paul wished for the Ephesians and for us.

Today, let us pray these words that the Apostle prayed so long ago for the church: Father, out of your glorious riches strengthen us with power through your Spirit, may it fill us to our very core. May our faith be so strong that Christ might be perfectly at home in our hearts and may we display the love that is required to keep him there. 

Father, the riches of Your glory are boundless. Strengthen me with those riches. Give me the power of Your Holy Spirit to work in me Your good pleasure. Jesus Christ, make your home in my heart. May there be nothing there to make you uncomfortable. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Dwell in me and may your love flow through my life to others. Amen