Monthly Archives: July 2024

Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Filled, Flowing, Oveflowing, Scripture

FILLED TO CAPACITY

EPHESIANS 3:19

“and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.”

Don’t you love a good meal? I remember very fondly the meals we used to have at my Grandma Carter’s farmhouse with all the relatives. What a spread! When those meals occurred, there was no excuse for leaving hungry. You could very easily fill up on all those “vittles.” Man, I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

Paul uses a verb and noun in today’s verse that come from the same root Greek word. They basically mean to be super abundantly filled to your individual capacity. And look what Paul tells us we can be full of – God. How is that possible? Because when you come to Christ and give your life to Him, He comes in and fills you up with His love and grace. It’s like pouring jello into a mold. It fills every cavity.

APPLICATION

This same word is used in Matthew 13:47-48 where it says, “47 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.’” It is the same word used to describe the full baskets of leftover fish and bread when Jesus fed the 4,000 and 5,000. When God does something, He goes all out. Go big or go home!

I love how Paul uses the same word over in Colossians 3:9. “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Now, get the picture here. Christ is full of the Deity. That same Deity dwells in you fully through the Holy Spirit. As believers, we are so full of Jesus, we should have no reason to sin. But we do! We forget the fullness. We forget just how full we are.

You see, our fullness is meant to overflow. We should have a continuous overflowing of the fullness of God. As we overflow, He refills us, and not just partially. He fills us so we can continue to overflow. So, let me ask you something. How is your flow? Are you so full of Jesus today that anyone who gets close to you gets splashed with Jesus? Enjoy the fullness.

And now I’m filled to overflowing. I don’t mind the whole world knowing!

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Abundance, Bible, Dimensions, Inexpressible, Large, Love, Scripture, Size

ALL DIMENSIONS

EPHESIANS 3:18

“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,”

The size of some things can blow your mind. I had the opportunity to visit The Ark Encounter in Kentucky last year. It was my second trip there but hopefully not my last. This life-sized model of the ark that Noah built is amazing. It is really hard to get your head around the sheer size of it. Ken Hamm built this based on the biblical records. I can only guess what the people during Noah’s time thought of this monstrosity.

Paul is describing God’s love to the Ephesians in today’s verse. He wants them to understand “the width and length and height and depth” of it. He was trying to say that God’s love is so huge, no human measurements come close. It goes beyond all reason. His love covers the breadth of the globe. There is no length He won’t go to reach us. His love is higher than the heavens, and His love is deeper than the oceans. Think of the biggest thing you know and multiply it infinitely and then go bigger.

APPLICATION

Paul uses a similar expression in Romans 8:39 when he says, “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He is painting the same picture of God’s love.  Not only is it immeasurable, but it is also all encompassing. Nothing can come between us and God’s love.

Many scholars argue what Paul meant by these four terms (width, length, height and depth). But don’t get bogged down in all of that. Sometimes we try to read into a verse something that is just not there. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use these words, I believe, simply to show how big God’s love was to these Gentiles. They had never experienced such love.

Have you experienced God’s love in this way? He loves you more than you can possibly put into words. His love is unending. His love is eternal. His love is expansive. His love…you fill in the blank. John 3:16 says it all. “For God so loved the world…” Do you believe He loves you that much? He does.

Father, I can’t thank You enough for the love You have given me.

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Battles, Bible, Established, Foundation, Scripture, Storms, Winds

ROOTED AND GROUNDED

EPHESIANS 3:17

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”

When we lived in Florida, we had the distinct pleasure of living through several hurricanes. The power of those storms is amazing. But what is even more amazing is the strength of some types of trees to withstand the 150+mph winds. We had three large oak trees in our yard that had roots that were deep and wide. When the winds came, they lost a lot of leaves and some smaller limbs, but the trees themselves withstood the torrential rain and wind that lasted for hours.

In verse 17 today, Paul continues his prayer for the Ephesians (and us). He is praying “that Christ may dwell in” our hearts. He also prayed for us to be “rooted and grounded in love.” Just like those huge oaks trees in our Florida yard, we need to be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ so that nothing can shake us. Come what may, we are solid. We can withstand the onslaught of evil because Christ is our foundation.

APPLICATION

The Greek word translated as “rooted” is rhizoó, which literally means to fix firmly. We get our word “rhizome” from it. A rhizome is “a rootlike, often thickened, and usually horizontal underground plant stem that produces shoots above and roots below.” You can just picture that, can’t you? A strong network of roots running deep and wide.

It is used by Paul over in Colossians 2:6-7. “6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

The word Paul uses for “grounded” is themelioó. This word is used in Matthew 7:25 when Jesus is talking about the house built on sand and the house built on stone. The house built on stone was themelioó, grounded on the stone. The word is also used over in 1 Peter 5:10. “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Go deep with Jesus. Let Him be your foundation.

Father, we praise You for helping us be rooted and grounded in You.

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Abiding, Bible, Power, Scripture, Strength, Submission

STRENGTHENED INWARDLY

EPHESIANS 3:16

“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,”

I began walking again this summer. Why is that a big deal? Because I have pretty severe neuropathy in my feet. It can get painful at times, so I was hesitant to start walking again. I discovered something recently. The days I don’t walk my feet hurt worse. It seems the walking is stimulating the nerves in my feet in a positive way rather than causing more pain. Who would have thought that? I still have to be careful how I walk as I can trip easily since I can’t really feel my toes. But I am thankful my feet seem to be getting strengthened inwardly.

That fits our verse today. Paul explains to us that the Lord strengthens us “with power through His Spirit in the inner self.” I have never doubted that. Have you? The Greek word translated as “strengthened” is krataioó. It means “to prevail by God’s dominating strength, i.e. as His power prevails over opposition (gains mastery).” (HELPS Word studies. I was once told that when you see a Greek verb ending in “oo,” the emphasis is more about the result of the action rather than the action itself. The result of God’s prevailing power in our lives through the Holy Spirit is what Paul is talking about.

APPLICATION

In regards to the statement “in the inner man,” Albert Barnes says this, “The ‘body’ needs to be strengthened every day. In like manner the soul needs constant supplies of grace. Piety needs to be constantly invigorated, or it withers and decays. Every Christian needs grace given each day to enable him to bear trials, to resist temptation, to discharge his duty, to live a life of faith.” I need my daily Quiet Time. Without it, I wither on the vine. I need the daily nourishment.

In Romans 7:14-25, we read about Paul’s struggle with the inner man of flesh. Take a few minutes and read that passage. But we read this in verse 22, “For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person,” Paul knew it was all about submission to God, to His Spirit. We can fight with our inner self and lose every time. Or we can submit our inner self to God and let His power strengthen us.

Paul also uses krataioó in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” God will strengthen us, but we must submit, we must be on the alert, we must stand firm in the faith. Let the Lord strengthen you today as you face those giants in your life. He may just put a sling and stones in your hand.

I know any power I have to defeat sin comes from You, O Lord. 

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Bible, Blessing, Calling, Family, Glory, Humility, Scripture, Service, Uncategorized

NAMESAKE

EPHESIANS 3:15

“from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,”

My daughter and son-in-law gave me such a blessing a few weeks ago when our grandson was born. What was an even bigger blessing is they decided to name him Lucas Carl. He has my name. Why does that bless me? Well, I carry both of my grandfathers’ names – Carl Spence and Clarence William Willis. It’s kind of like carrying on the family name, in a way. Of course, my grandson has his dad’s last name (unless I can get him to change it, lol). Bearing someone’s name is an honor and privilege.

In today’s verse, Paul says all believers have their Father’s name. Now, he didn’t mean we all have to change our name to Jehovah. That would be kind of silly. What he meant was we are now all in the same family. We represent the Father. We are protected by the Father. This applies to all believers, alive or in heaven. We are all one big family.

APPLICATION

What does that mean for us? Well, first of all, it means we need to love each other. In John 13:34, Jesus tells us, “‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.’” How are you loving your fellow believer? Are you arguing about the color of the carpet in the sanctuary? How silly! We’re family.

Family means a lot of different things to people. Those who grew up in dysfunctional families can really struggle with the concept of family. They don’t understand that you can disagree and still love each other. Do you really think the disciples always got along? In Mark 10, we have a great story that I think illustrates this point. Remember when John and James asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left in glory? Read the following and see what happened.

John 10:41-45 says, “41 Hearing this, the other ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.’”

So, love each other and serve each other. That’s what family does!

Thank You, Lord, for making me part of Your family.

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Bible, Blessing, Bowing, Heart, Honor, Humility, Prayer, Scripture

BENT KNEES

EPHESIANS 3:14

“For this reason I bend my knees before the Father,”

Eusebius of Caesarea quotes the writing of Hegesippus, a chronicler of the early Church concerning James, the half-brother of Christ and leader of the early church. “He alone was permitted to enter the holy place, for he did not wear woolen but linen garments. And he frequently entered the temple alone and was frequently found situated upon his knees asking forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard after the manner of a camel, on account of always bending down upon a knee while worshipping God and asking forgiveness for the people.”

I wonder if Paul’s knees were also calloused due to kneeling in prayer. I know mine aren’t. Paul begins a prayer in today’s verse that goes through verse 21. It is one of the most encouraging prayers in Scripture. It is one of many of Paul’s prayers recorded in the New Testament (some say his writings contain as many as 45 prayers or prayer “snippets”). “For this reason” points back to the preceding verses. Paul had many reasons to pray, but the salvation offered to the Gentiles was at the top of his list.

APPLICATION

Okay, this is one of those “duh” verses. What do I mean by that? I mean we can all see how to apply this our lives. I need to bow my knees before the Father a lot more than I do now. I cannot pray enough. In 2 Chronicles 6:13, we see Solomon, the king of Israel, bow in humility. “For Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the courtyard; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.” At this point in Solomon’s life, he was not ashamed to humble himself and pray.

How about this example of kneeling in prayer, despite the danger. In Daniel 6:10 we read, “Now when Daniel learned that the document was signed, he entered his house (and in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and offering praise before his God, just as he had been doing previously.” We know the consequence of this. He was thrown into the lions’ den but escaped death because of his obedience to be faithful in prayer.

What is stopping you from kneeling today? Maybe you have bad knees or a bad back and can’t physically kneel. Bowing our knees before God in prayer is about much more than our physical position. It has more to do with our spiritual position. Bow yourself in humility. Recognize the awesomeness of our God. Give Him the honor that is due Him when you pray.

O Lord, forgive me, cleanse me, purify my heart. I bow my heart and spirit before You today.

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Affliction, Bible, Boldness, Brokenness, Courage, Faith, Fear, God's Will, Modeling, Oppression, Scripture, Suffering

AN EXAMPLE OF SUFFERING

EPHESIANS 3:13

“Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.”

Suffering is not something I welcome. I mean, come on, who would? No one wants to suffer. But we have to be willing to accept it and embrace it when the Lord allows it. Those who know my story witnessed my suffering during my health crisis back in 2010 and then again in 2020. Stem cell transplants and chemo are no laughing matter. So many people prayed for me during that time. I know my suffering helped build a lot of people’s prayer life. For that I am grateful.

As Paul sits in a Roman prison, he tells the Ephesians to not feel sorry for him and to not get discouraged. A lot of versions translate “discouraged” as “faint. Albert Barnes says this, “The word rendered ‘faint’ – ἐκκακέω egkakeō – means literally, to turn out ‘a coward,’ or to lose one’s courage; then to be fainthearted,” Paul is trying to encourage the Ephesians to remain bold and not let his present circumstance be a barrier to their growth in Christ and the spreading of the Gospel.

APPLICATION

That Greek word egkakeo, is only used six times in the New Testament (Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16; Galatians 6:9, here in Ephesians 3:13; and 2 Thessalonians 3:13). I really like how the word is used in Luke 18:1. “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged,” Jesus knew that pray helps remove discouragement. It lifts us up. It brings us face to face with our Father in heaven whom we know is listening intently to our requests.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1 and 16, we see egkakeo translated as “lose heart.” “1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day’” Have you ever lost heart about something? I have. In fact, I am going through something right now that is very hard not to lose heart about. But I must continue to trust in the Lord’s providence and power.

Listen, God may decide to use you to be a source of encouragement for others. Your suffering (like Paul’s) may the one thing that shows them they too can trust in Jesus. So, embrace the suffering the Lord allows in your life. Allow the light of Jesus to shine through you as you draw people to Jesus like moths to a light.

Lord, I do not like to suffer, but I will submit myself to Your almighty hand, knowing You have a perfect plan.

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Bible, Boldness, Confidence, Disciples, Encouragement, Freedom, Heaven, Persuasion, Scripture

BOLD AND CONFIDENT

EPHESIANS 3:12

“in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.”

Often our boldness and confidence can be seen as arrogance or rudeness. There is no doubt that can be the perception IF we are not careful. I have prayed for boldness to witness more. I have prayed for confidence to face life’s challenges. There is nothing wrong with boldness and confidence if it is done through the Lord. We are going to see that in today’s verse.

Paul is continuing a thought from the previous verse in verse 12. “In whom” is referring back to “Christ Jesus our Lord” in verse 11. Look what Christ gives us. He gives us boldness to approach the very throne of grace. The Greek word translated as “boldness” is parrésia. It is defined as “confidence (bold resolve), leaving a witness that something deserves to be remembered (taken seriously).” (HELPS Word studies) Then Paul tells us we also have “confident access.” In the Greek text it is literally “access in confidence.” Pepoithésis is the word translated for “confidence. It means “interactive-access in persuasion.”  (HELPS Word studies)

APPLICATION

You are probably thinking Okay, Carl, I already knew that. I didn’t need a Greek lesson. I get it. But you can’t just read this verse and take it for granted. This boldness and confidence can only be exhibited correctly through Jesus. We have the privilege and honor to be given these in order to talk to our heavenly Father without any fear or trepidation.

In 1 Timothy 3:13, Paul tells Timothy as he talks about deacons, “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” As we develop as believers and learn to listen for His voice, our boldness and confidence increases. Leaders in our churches should have this boldness and confidence to lead others towards a deeper relationship with Christ.

The writer of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 10:19-22. “19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Don’t shrink back, beloved. Go before the Lord with boldness and confidence. God won’t embarrass you and send you to the back of the line. There is room for everyone at the foot of the cross. Approach Him today and thank Him for giving you this access through His Son, Jesus Christ. You’ll find Him open and receptive every time.

Lord, I praise You for all you have given me, including my access to Your throne.

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Bible, Eternity, God's Will, Purpose, Scripture

AN ETERNAL PURPOSE

EPHESIANS 3:11

“This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

We should always have a reason for the things we do. Even leisure time has a purpose – to rest your body and refresh your spirit. Unfortunately, many of us do things out of rote habit. We haven’t stopped to think why we do the things we do. For instance, why are you taking the time to read this blog? Hopefully, you have found something worthwhile in what I have written in the past, so you “tune in” each day to see what’s next.

The Greek word used for “purpose” is prothesis, which comes from the verb protithemi. These words refer to a setting forth of something in advance for a specific reason. One use of this word is in Hebrews 9:2. “For a tabernacle was equipped, the outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place.” The word “sacred” is prothesis. It refers to the presentation of the bread in the temple. Let’s dig into this a little.

APPLICATION

When Jesus and the disciples were walking through a grain field one Sabbath, they were plucking the grain and eating it. When the Pharisees saw them doing this (they were always watching), they confronted Jesus about gleaning on the Sabbath. Jesus referred them to the story about David and his men who ate the consecrated bread when they were fleeing Saul. The word “consecrated” is the word prothesis.

One verse I am sure you know is Romans 8:28. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” God does not do anything by chance. Behind everything He does is a purpose, a divine purpose, an eternal purpose. He is still at work today carrying out His purposes.

Take a look at your calendar today. What do you have scheduled? Is there a reason you are doing that? Does it have a divine purpose? Let me encourage you to get rid of those things that have no eternal purpose. None of that will last. Concentrate on the things that have an eternal significance and that pleases our Master.

Father, give me wisdom to know how to choose the eternal over the temporal.

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Abundance, Bible, Colors, Grace, Inexpressible, Scripture, Wisdom

MANY, MANY, MANY

EPHESIANS 3:10

“so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”

Do you remember as a child getting that brand new jumbo box of Crayola Crayons? If you were lucky, you would get the box with the built-in sharpener. Man, I sure remember opening that box and seeing all those unspoiled, brand new crayons. It seemed every color of the rainbow was in that box. And the smell! That was one great smell.

Paul isn’t talking about crayons in today’s verse. But the word he uses for “multifaceted” could be described that way. It is the Greek word polupoikilos, and it is only used right here. It could literally be translated as “many many many.” Poly is the first part of the word and means much in number. Poikilos is the second part and means many diverse manifestations. Paul is saying the wisdom of God is so diverse, you could never explain it fully.

APPLICATION

My late brother-in-law, Dr. Wayne Barber, used to explain poikilos by comparing how it was used in two other passages, 1 Peter 4:10 and James 1:2. In the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, poikilos is used to describe Joseph’s coat of many colors. With that thought in mind, Wayne would talk about the many colors of trials we see in James 1:2, which reads, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials.” The word “various” is poikilos.

Then over in 1 Peter 4:10 we see, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.” “Multifaceted” is poikilos. So, we have multi-colored trials, wisdom and grace. Wayne explained that God had just the right color wisdom and grace to match the color trial you were going through.

God’s wisdom and grace are unexplainable. They are too multifaceted for words. You can study these concepts the rest of your life and never exhaust the definitions. Do you trust this inexpressible God with your finite life? You should. He has all the answers you will ever need.

Father, I thank You that no one will ever be able to fully explain the richness of your grace and wisdom.

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