Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭4 ‭MSG‬‬

This was the main scripture in Sunday’s sermon. I had to write it down, because I wanted to further explore this truth. (Though it took me a minute to track down the same version. Imagine my surprise when I found it in The Message.)

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around this scripture. There is an incongruence between God’s vision and my own experience. He sees me as whole and holy, while I see myself as broken and prone to sin. (Another parenthetical insert here — sin, in my understanding, is anything done apart from God. Not necessarily something bad or evil.)

So, where is the disconnect? How do we realize this wholeness and holiness? If you read further in Ephesians you will find Paul’s prayer.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 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. 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. 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.

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. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Notice Paul prays that we will be empowered by His Spirit, and with this power, to understand God’s love, even though it is beyond our ability to grasp it. Yet, as we come to a greater understanding we are able to fully realize we are complete in His love, by His love, and through His love. Go back to Ephesians 1 — we are “the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”

This brings to mind another scripture.

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work  in you  will carry it on to completion  until the day of Christ Jesus.
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This is where it gets tricky: Christ’s work is complete and He is working in us completing the work. As the saying goes, it is not either or, but both and.

This made me think of a line in the Our Father prayer — “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Have you ever wondered what that means? This could also be a both and situation. What is happening in heaven can be mirrored on earth.

Look at this one:

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭ASV‬‬

I could keep going, but let me circle back to this: “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.”

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

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