Ready the Ground 9

Ephesians 3:16-18

So often the sense of loneliness and emptiness can encroach on our lives. Frequently we can feel that we are all alone. No one seems to care for us. No one seems to want to be our friend.

We begin to believe that we must face all of our troubles and problems on our own. We might feel that we do not have the strength of character or the strength of faith to face difficulties. It is in these times that we have forgotten just how much God loves us.

In the letter to the Ephesians the believers are offered some encouragement. What is prayed for? What desire is expressed for the believer’s heart? What power is desired?

It takes strong faith to face all the trials of life. We must have complete confidence in the presence of God, and that confidence can come from an awareness of how God feels toward us.

When we begin to think that our faith is like the rocky soil from the parable, that our faith simply cannot grow deeper, cannot take good root in our hearts, we need to remember what our relationship with our Savior is. When we worry that life’s troubles will crowd out our ability to love and to hold onto our faith, like thorns that crowd out growing seeds, we must recall that Jesus loves us deeply.

The prayer for the believers in Ephesus is a prayer for all believers. We must remember how deep and wide and broad is the love of Christ for each of us. We can remember how much we are loved when we allow Christ to live in our hearts, when we invite the eternal presence of God to be part of how we think and feel toward life.

With that presence of Christ inside of us we can allow our love and our faith to grow deep. With the presence of Christ we are made into the good soil that allows the seed of God’s grace to take root and flourish.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can remind you of how much Jesus loves you?

Share the Cup 4

Ephesians 3:16-18

My mother always encouraged me in life. She wanted me to do well in school. She wanted me to have good jobs and to excel at those positions. She wanted me to have a life of fulfillment and happiness.

I didn’t always get to hear about how proud she was of what I had done in my life, however. Instead it seemed that I heard about what successful people my brother and sister were. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I talked to my sister that I found out she was telling her the same things. Mom was proud of me, she just told everyone but me.

In Ephesians we find a prayer offered up for the believers. What should we receive through the glorious riches of Jesus? What should we grasp?

Our celebration of Communion is a celebration of the depth and power of Christ’s love. It is a reminder of how far Jesus was willing to go for us to receive the love of God. Jesus was willing to give himself completely for our salvation. He was willing to replace his holy innocence with the stain of all of our guilt and sin. He was willing to have his body broken on the cross and have his blood poured out so that we might achieve eternal life.

And more than eternal life, Jesus wanted us to know as we lived just how deeply God loves us and cares for us. The breaking of the bread is a reminder that Jesus has broken himself open so that we might have access to his grace and forgiveness.

We do not have to go through life wondering if God loves us. We know in our hearts that He treasures each one of us. The service of Holy Communion should be that constant reminder of how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Communion is that opportunity for us be strengthened by the presence of Jesus’ Spirit. It allows us to be rooted in the love of Jesus and to commune – connect – with all the believers who live now and those who have come before us.

Communion is the celebration of the glorious riches Jesus holds for us. Allow the experience to be a time when you welcome the love and presence of God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you allow Communion to remind you of God’s love?