Context: After explaining the believer’s position before God through Christ, Paul shares another prayer that he has for them.

Ephesians 3:14-19 “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.”

Observations:

• Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith is a result of God’s work through His Spirit.
• Comprehending the love of God (that surpasses all knowledge) comes from being rooted and grounded in love.
• We are filled with all the fullness of God when we comprehend the love of Christ.
• Paul prays that God would do the above in the lives of those in Ephesus.

Application: Today, I will pray this over my immediate family, my church family at PCBC and the universal church in Dallas and beyond.

Do you believe that you can be filled with all the fullness of God?  Are you living and praying towards that end? 

Join us in the Project 345 reading plan as we read through the New Testament.

Context: Paul tells the church in Ephesus that he has prayed for them since hearing of their faith.

Ephesians 1:17-19  “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”

Observations:

1. I keep asking that God will give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
   1. So that you may know Him better.
2. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.
   1. In order that you may know:

i.     The hope to which He has called you.

ii.     The riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.

iii.     His incomparably great power for us who believe.

Application: I want to commit these verses to memory over the next few days.  I need to pray them over my life, my family and my church.  “Lord, give us a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know You better!”

Are you praying for other believers to know God better?  Start praying right now… 

Join Project 345 as we read through the New Testament.

Context: Paul is expressing his deep concern that the Christians in Galatia are returning to the works of the Law to try to earn a legalistic, works-based form of righteousness.

Galatians 4:9 – “But now you know God – or rather are known by God – how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles?  Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”

Observations: After placing our faith in Christ, we can return to a works-based form of righteousness that enslaves us.  Only God’s grace brings freedom from the Law through Christ.

Application: I must not become legalistic in my Christian life.  I must live by grace through faith.

How can you guard your life against “turning back to those weak and miserable principles” that enslave you?

Context: Earlier in Chapter 2, Paul opposes Peter to his face for wrongly separating himself from Gentiles when he ate.  In verse 19 Paul says, “Through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God.”

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Observations:  Paul considers himself a dead man.  He went to the cross with Christ.  His life is now all about living for God through faith in Christ.

Application: I must consciously think of myself as crucified.  Today, I will look for opportunities to let Christ have full control through faith.

What kind of sacrifices must we be ready to make to live a crucified life?

Context: Jesus leads His disciples to the Mount of Olives (the Garden of Gethsemane is on the Mount of Olives).  Before leaving them to pray, He instructs them in verse 40, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  After being in agonizing prayer and sweating blood, He returns and finds His disciples sleeping.  Jesus wakes them with the same command He gave in verse 40.

Luke 22:46 – “and He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’”

Observations: I am reminded that when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He used the words: “Lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4).  Temptation, or circumstances that could lead to sin, does not equal sin.  Scripture tells us to not just pray that we will not sin, but to remove ourselves from situations that could lead us to sin.  This is the prayer that Jesus asks his disciples to pray at the final hour.

Application: I must pray that I will not enter into temptation.  I also should put safe guards in my life to separate myself from situations that could lead to sin.

Are there situations in your life that could tempt you?  What do you need to do about it?

Context: Jesus is teaching in Jerusalem during the last week of His life.  With all the people listening (including the teachers of the law) Jesus says to His disciples:

Luke 20:46-47 – “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.  They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Observations:  Jesus is speaking against the pride of the religious leaders – they like their flowing robes, love to be greeted with respect, love the most important seats, and for show make lengthy prayers.  (thrown in this mix is devouring widows’ houses).  He says that these men will be punished most severely.

Application:  I must not fall in love with impressing others.  I must seek to serve and not to be served.  My public faith must be driven by my private faith.

How do you guard yourself against the pride of the religious leaders?  What practical steps can you take today to avoid hypocrisy?

Context: Jesus is sharing the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  After the death of both men, Lazarus is in Heaven, “Abraham’s side,” and the rich man is in hell, “Hades, where he was in torment… in agony… in fire.”  The rich man cries out to Abraham and asks him to send Lazarus to “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool (his) tongue…”  Abraham says that the rich man received his reward on earth, and that now there is a chasm that separates Heaven and hell.  The rich man responds with these words:

Luke 16:27-28 – “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”

Observations:  I am not a fire and brimstone kind of guy.  That being said, we carry the responsibility to not only be a messenger of the incredible gift of life in Christ, but also the responsibly to warn of the eternal torment for those who reject Christ.  In some ways, we have a message from hell…  “Send _______ to my family… let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

Application: I must prayerfully look for opportunities to lovingly warn others of the eternal consequence of sin.

Have you ever heard someone give the warning that the rich man asks for in an effective way?  Read the ending of the parable.  How should that affect our application?

Context:  Someone has asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him.  Jesus will follow verse 15 by telling the parable of the Rich Fool who built extra storehouses for grain and then died.

Luke 12:15 – “And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”

Observations:

• Take care and be on your guard (extra emphasis)
  • Against all covetousness (greed, desire to have more)
    • For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Apply:  I must be on guard against covetousness.

Prayer:  “Lord, help me to work to give my life to changing the world for Your glory and not trying to possess things in the world that ultimately are meaningless.”

Are you on your guard against covetousness?

Context:  There is a a change of scene after Jesus was at Mary and Martha’s house.  He will follow this question with the Lord’s Prayer.

Luke 11:1 – “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’”

Observation:  What must it have been like to watch the Son of God talk to God?  Out of all of the things the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, we see them ask Jesus to teach them to pray.

Application: “Lord, teach me to pray!  I want to be communicating with You in the way You intend.”

Is prayer an active part of your life?  Ask God to teach you to pray.  Read Jesus’ response in verses 2-4 and meditate on it.

Context:  Jesus has been asked by an elder of the Jews to come and heal a centurion’s important servant.  On the way to the centurion’s house, one of the centurion’s friends delivers a message to Jesus.   Jesus will “marvel” in verse 9: “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”  Here is what the centurion says to Jesus through his friend:

Luke 7:6-8 “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.  Therefore I do not presume to come to You.  But say the word, and let my servant be healed.  For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Observation:  Faith understands the authority that God has over all things.

Application: I must approach God in prayer with a confident realization that He can command anything to be done, and it will be.  I want to speak of His authority.

Do you have this kind of faith in the authority of God?