As many of you know, I have returned to college to work on a Master of Divinity. With each course, I am left in great awe as I love being able to grow in my Biblical knowledge, deepen my relationship with the Lord, witness iron sharpen iron with professors and classmates, and strengthen my understanding of human development and the benefits of counseling. If I am being fully transparent, there are many times when I step into a course, and I have little to no insight about what I am about ready to learn. Last semester is a great example of this as I signed up to take Biblical Hermeneutics. If you are wondering what that means, well, so was I when I began the course. Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles, and the methods used to interpret the Bible. Basically, it means you want to understand the written Word’s original meaning and in order to do that you need to dig into the historical, cultural, and literary context of a passage (the full chapter and the book) and apply all of that ancient text to modern reader’s lives. I began the class with concern that I would not enjoy this type of study, and I left the semester wanting to keep going because I loved it so much. During the semester we were tasked with writing a 10-to-20-page exegetical paper. Again, I had no idea what an “exegetical paper” was or even meant. This paper is an essay that is guided by Biblical hermeneutics to present information that is gleaned from extensive research to explain the text as well as provide the writer’s interpretation of its meaning.
Friends, my exegetical study was on today’s passage. So, when I saw Ephesians 3:14-21 within the lectionary as an option for today’s devotional, I was so excited as I spent a full semester in deep research and communion with the Lord on this passage and it means so much to me. I promise to not get too technical or write a 10-to-20-page devotional, I just wanted to get personal with you because each one of us is constantly in a spiritual growth pattern, and that pattern is either evolving, stagnant, or unraveling. The beauty of the growth pattern is that it is up to each one of us. We get to choose if we want to be spiritually growing with Jesus, or if we want to put our spiritual growth on hold and it be stagnant, or if we want to allow our spiritual pattern to unravel and we walk away entirely from Jesus. My prayer, much like Paul’s prayer in today’s passage, is that each one of us holds firmly to just how much the Creator of our physical being, our soul, and our spirit loves us for all eternity.
There is so much I can share with you, but I decided to share the “Conclusion” of my paper and to allow that to then lead into today’s Word. As a daughter of the most high God, I pray all of the time for my spiritual growth, that my relationship with Jesus will grow roots that are deeper than a mighty Oaktree, and that the Holy Spirit will impart divine wisdom within me each day. I want this same spiritual growth for my spiritual Family, in fact, I want it for all of God’s creation. I pray that believers truly press in to know just how much their Creator loves them. As I stated at the beginning of this paper, I, like Paul, understand that there are no words sufficient enough to express Christ’s love, that it must be experienced, and as lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, we know that it can only come from God. So, that transformation (salvation) must be shared. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit the Advocate are the mighty Three-in-One, Holy Trinity, Who deserve all of the glory, praise, and honor for now and for all eternity.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for allowing Paul’s letter ‘to the Ephesians’ to be universally received and for it to reach our spiritual eyes, ears, and hearts a little less than 2,000 years later. Holy Spirit, may You stir within our hearts to hold firmly to our encounter with Jesus, as it was and continue to be the greatest life altering event that brought us restoration to our spiritual sight, resurrection to our hearts, and revival to our souls. We love You, Jesus, and ask all of this in Your Holy Name. Amen.