Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Opening Scripture

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, my heart is overwhelmed by your mercy and love! You have forgiven my sin and chosen me to be adopted into your forever family. You have placed your Spirit within me to instruct me, guide me, comfort me, and correct me. Help me to bear fruit in every good work. Help me to grow in the knowledge of You. Help me to have great endurance and patience. Help me to be joyful in all things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:15-23

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 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.

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Reflection  

In today’s passage, Paul expresses his deep gratitude for what God is continuing to accomplish in and through the Ephesian church. He also assures them of his constant intercession on their behalf. It had been about five years since Paul spent three years in Ephesus, and a lot of life had been lived during that time.

“For this reason” refers to “every spiritual blessing” Paul described in yesterday’s reading: forgiveness, election, adoption, grace, redemption, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, the seal of the Spirit, and the promise of a glorious inheritance. Paul gives thanks because the church in Ephesus had continued to accept and apply these blessings in their worship of God and their lives together. Paul then describes the essence of his prayers for the Ephesian Christians.

The encouragement for them – and for us – is to keep growing and going! As with any loving relationship, their intimacy, trust, and understanding of Almighty God must continue to deepen, strengthen, and develop… “so that you may know Him (even) better.” Again, the “know” here (epignōsei) is experiential knowledge and understanding.

That’s Paul’s own testimony in Philippians, Chapter 3. Although Paul was a committed follower of Jesus, he desperately wanted to know the Lord more deeply and intimately. “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… I want to know Christ… becoming like him… I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me… forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead… I press on.”

Paul wants the Ephesians to experientially and relationally “know” God better so that they can factually and practically “know” (eidenai) three things. This functional knowledge is comparable to a workman understanding the tools of his trade or a general understanding the troops and weapons under his command.

The three things Paul wants them – and us – to know are:

• the hope to which God has called us,
• the riches of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints, and
• God’s incomparably great power for us who believe.

Our hope is the absolute certainty we have of our eternal salvation and Christ’s ultimate and complete victory over sin and death. Paul refers to “riches” six times in this letter. In a surprising shift, the riches mentioned in today’s passage are the “glorious inheritance” that God is receiving: His holy people! Those he has purchased at a great price – the “saints” – are His inheritance. The fact that Almighty God would consider unworthy sinners as “riches” is only possible because He sees us “in Christ.”

The power (dynameōs) God provides for His children is the working (energeian) of His mighty strength. The English words “dynamite” and “energy” are at play here. God’s miracle-working power is able to overcome all obstacles! It’s the same power that:

• raised Jesus from the dead,
• restored Jesus to His original position in the heavenly realms,
• placed everything under Jesus’ feet, and
• established Jesus as the Head of the Church.

Whatever “levels” and “layers” there may be in the heavenly realms – populated by whatever “principalities” and “authorities” may exist there – Jesus is supreme over them all! Ultimately, He will be revealed as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, ruling over all creation. On that day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

When I read Paul’s declaration in Philippians 3:7-16, I’m reminded of Michael Yaconelli’s book, Dangerous Wonder. In these verses, the sophisticated, intelligent, academically trained Paul expresses an unbridled passion in his love for Jesus that is captivating. And I’m struck by his comment, “all of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”

I wonder if, somewhere along the way, we’ve made following Jesus so sanitized and institutionalized that it’s lost the “passion” it was always meant to have. Being “proper” and “dignified” certainly have their place, but should it be at the expense of the “abandonment” and “abundance” that are inherent in following Jesus?

Here are some insights from Yaconelli: “I grew up believing the Christian life was a series of ups and downs, valleys and mountaintops, and that as I grew older, I would have fewer ups and downs and the whole cycle of valleys and mountaintops would move closer to God. Eventually, if I lived long enough, I would reach the mountaintop permanently.

“Now I believe roller coasters are a more accurate model of the Christian life. You say yes to Jesus, and suddenly you are strapped in and you think, I’m going to die! Then you begin the long climb of growth and you think, Hey, no problem. I can follow Jesus anywhere, and then – ZOOOOM! – you crash into the twists and turns of life, jerking left then right, up then down, and fifty, sixty years go by and – WHAM! – you’re dead.

“My life has been up and down, careening left then right, full of mistakes and bad decisions, and if I died right now, even though I would love to live longer, I could say from the depths of my soul, ‘What a ride!’

“Passion is the roller coaster ride that can happen when you follow Jesus Christ. It is the breathtaking, thrill-filled, bone-rattling ride of a lifetime where every moment matters and all you can do is hang on for dear life. When you become a Christian, when you decide to follow Christ, you decide in favor of passion. Jesus came to forgive our sins, yes, but His mission was also to introduce us to the passion of living.

“One of many famous stories in the Bible is that of the prodigal son, and there is a reason why it is famous: because every time we hear this story, we remember! There are two sons in this story, and the younger son demands his inheritance now: a huge insult to his father; a rash and destructive choice for himself.

“The son parties and wastes the money and soon is penniless, homeless, and living in a pigpen. He finally decides to make the humiliating return home and ask his father for a servant’s job. This is where we all begin to love this story.

“The father has never recovered from the loss of his son. Hurt deeply, he obviously spends much of his day staring into the distance, mourning and grieving. One day he sees a tiny speck on the horizon. He knows that speck, even at a great distance – he knows the walk, the gait, the slumped shoulders, the head hung in despair.

“The father rushes out and runs to meet his son, locking his thick arms around the weakened shadow of what was once a wild and passionate boy. The father calls out, ‘Kill the calf! Get the robe and the ring. We’re having a party tonight! My son is back!’

“I love this story. I love the passion of the father for his son… but… the voices start in me just as they did with the older brother. ‘You can’t just forgive him! He should suffer the consequences for his behavior. You can’t let him get away with this. He’ll just do it again! It’s not fair, especially to the older brother!’ But the father ignores all the voices, acts totally irresponsibly, and throws a party.

“I had no idea that God’s love was extravagant, irresponsible… and irresistible. I had no idea the God of the universe loved me with no conditions, no addenda to the contract, no fine print. I had no idea God was passionate about me! His passion for me, His love for me, makes me want to love like Him.

“Passion is much harder than legalism. The behavior of the father appears to be irresponsible, but his passion is irresistible, staggering, compelling – the young man is loved to his senses. It was an act of pure passion.”

I fear too many people are trying to “do” Christianity without fully experiencing the embarrassing compassion, the astounding mercy, the astonishing forgiveness, and the amazing grace of our Heavenly Father. Have you experienced God’s incredible passion for you? Do you know the Father’s transforming love personally?

“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” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!