May 03, 2021: The Love in Our Hearts Was Given to Us by God's Power. Are We Living by This Power?

In the Book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul is trying to define for the people is Ephesus the riches they have in their Jesus. He referred to this mystery when he prayed that the Holy Spirit would strengthen the believers in Ephesus so that Christ would “dwell in [their] hearts through faith.”

Ephesians 3: 14-24 (NKJV)

"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God".

With Jesus living within our hearts, we can begin to grasp how deep He loves us. Fueled by this "love", we can mature in our faith and love others with humility and gentleness while speaking the truth in love.

Ephesians 4: 2 & 25 (NKJV)

2: "with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love";

25: "Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another".

With Jesus dwelling inside us, His followers, means that His love never leaves those who have welcomed Him into their lives. His love that surpasses knowledge (3:19) roots us to Him, helping us to understand how deeply He loves us.

But this kind of love and truth cannot be completed by our own power. It is accomplished only through the "power of the Holy Spirit" living through us. As I have mentioned many times before in previous posts, we must be "completely and absolutely surrendered" to our God for this power to be certified and validated in our lives. As we live in this fashion, we give God the glory, not ourselves. I love what the Apostle Paul says in the following verse in the Book of Ephesians:

Ephesians 4: 20-21 (NKJV)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

Imagine, for God "to be able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us". If we are willing to be "absolutely surrender" to our God, then, we can say, "Yes", we are living by this power that God has given to us.