Title: Healthy Faith / Ephesians 3:14-19
content one belief
Ephesians 3:14-19, Psalm 111:10
First, I pray that the inner person may be strong (16).
What is the inner person? It refers to the spirit within us, not the body. There are several places in the Bible about the inner man.
When he said to the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament, 'Do not look at his appearance or height.... I do not look like men. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). ' This is referring to the inner person.
In 2 Corinthians 4:16 it is said, 'Therefore we do not lose heart, for though our outward man perishes, but our inward man is being renewed day by day.' I did. Even when the outer man grows old and loses strength, the 'inner' that can be renewed day by day--that is the inner man.
When God sees life, He sees it through this inner man. The last thing we bring to God is this inner man. The place where the Holy Spirit works is also the inner man.
But today, the apostle Paul is blessing the inner man to be strong. What does inner strength mean?
Being strong doesn't just mean being strong. In terms of strength, is there anyone who can follow a wrestler? However, although a wrestler may be said to be strong, he is not said to be a strong person. Being strong has a different meaning. It is not a visible force, but an invisible force. For example, 'Women are weak, but mothers are strong' This does not mean that the mother is strong, but an expression that refers to the invisible power, the power of sacrifice, and the power of love that comes from that motherhood. You can see that being strong like this is different from saying that you have strong physical strength.
So, what does it mean to say that the inner person becomes strong? It speaks of the power of the soul, the power of faith, and the power of love.
A person who stands firm in hope in the midst of tribulation and trials--such a person is a person of strong inner self. Just because the body is healthy and strong does not mean that we can overcome tribulations and trials. Because it is not about winning with the power of the body. A person who resists temptation and sin with the word--This is a person with a strong inner man. A person who overcomes his laziness and greed by faith--such a person is a strong person. These things can never be overcome by the strength of the flesh or the strength of the outward man. It is only through the strength of the inner person that we can overcome.
How can the inner person be strong? It is through prayer. Prayer is the channel of the soul to connect with God. You cannot connect with God without prayer. Whether or not I really fall on my face before God calling on the name of the Lord tells us of that faith.
Without prayer, the inner person cannot become strong. It cannot be a healthy belief. Be a praying saint. So, I hope that the inner person will be strong.
Second, we pray that Christ Jesus be in our hearts (17).
What does it mean to have Christ in your heart? Because the Lord is the Word who came in the flesh, embracing the Word means embracing Christ. When the Word is in me, it is the Lord in me. As I read the Word and meditate on it, the Lord is working in my soul.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him.
He will eat with me. Revelation 3:20
Those who are filled with the Word in this way will walk with Jesus in their lives. The people of the world simply think about the relationship between that and me. But Christians think about that and my relationship with God. This is called three-dimensional thinking.
i need this But is this pleasing to God?
I want to do this. But is this glorifying God?
I don't want to do this. But is this doing God's will?
Dear saints, if you are living with these thoughts in your life, then Christ is in your heart. If you are temperate in what you want to do with this thought in mind, the words of Jesus are the evidence that you are in your heart. If you have bravely endured tasks that were difficult for you to do, or even costly, with this three-dimensional thinking, it is evidence that Christ is with you in your heart.
How does that word work in me? This happens while reading and meditating on the Word. Dear saints, I hope that you will put at least one word in your heart in your daily life. And please meditate on those words. Wouldn't that be a Christian? Wouldn't that clear my soul? Isn't that a person who embraces Christ? That is the image of a man with Christ in his heart. Then why not think about how to live a life that pleases the Lord according to the Word?
How can I please the Lord, how can I glorify the Lord, and how can my soul be filled with the word of the Lord, so that these thoughts fill your mind. So, may your hearts be filled with Christ, full of the Word, and overflowing with grace and blessing that bears much fruit through it.
Third, we pray that we may know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge (18).
I pray that you will come to understand how boundless, wide, and deep and high is the love of Jesus that forgives, accepts, and heals us. When you realize and know the love of Jesus, true devotion comes out of it.
The root of all human life and all knowledge is ultimately in the love of God through Jesus. Therefore, to know this love is knowledge of true knowledge and wisdom of wisdom. Because that is the way to save your own soul. True devotion comes from realizing the Lord's love in this way.
In the worship service on Mount Moriah of Isaac and Abraham, we can see how they were moved by God's love and devoted themselves to it. How moving would it have been to offer a lamb on behalf of a child who is more precious than life?
What did the prodigal son look like after he was moved by the love of his father, who received his son without questioning or arguing after he had spent all his fortune? He must have been moved by his love for his father and turned into a devoted figure.
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