EPHESIANS 3:14-19 – For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE CHRISTIAN’S GREATEST TREASURE. Today’s scripture is one of the most profound prayers in all our Bibles. It should make its way into our prayer lives as the chief petition, passion, and pursuit in every child of God. I would go as far as to say, “Make this a daily plea to the Lord and then pursue it as the greatest treasure in life for it is.” Remember God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16) so that we would, in turn, know and experience His love leading to a life reciprocating and reflecting that love. That is the application of today’s scripture; to know the love of Christ to reciprocate back love to Christ and then reflect that love in a world void of true love. As we consider knowing and experiencing Christ’s love as our greatest treasure, allow me to offer two reasons it is, though, there are many, many more.
First, the love of Christ is known and experienced as our greatest treasure because it is the only source of contentment, satisfaction, peace, strength and joy in this life. To have Christ, we have all we need to satisfy the human heart with all its longings for purpose and companionship. To not have Christ is to seek in vain things in the world to satisfy those yearnings deep inside every human being. The Psalmist arrived at this point in his life – Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you (Psalm 73:25).
Another reason why the love of Christ is known and experienced as our greatest treasure is because it has come to us from God the Father’s heart of love in the Gospel. Stay with me. Salvation is Trinitarian; God the Father planned it, God the Son executed the plan, and God the Spirit applies it to the believing heart. And everything we have, every promise of God, every answered prayer, and every true experience of God’s love must and does come through the Son, the Lord Jesus. So, in a very real way, the prayer in today’s scripture opens the door to know the Triune God because of the love of Christ making salvation possible. Pay attention to how the Apostle Paul ends the prayer – “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.” That is a call to Trinitarian fellowship and it flows through the knowledge and experience of Christ’s love. What a God!
So, the Christian’s greatest treasure. It is in today’s prayer. Let’s make it our prayer and be overwhelmed by the riches found in the treasure chest of Christ’s love!
PRAYER: “Father, may I be relentless in pursuing You, Your Son, Your Spirit and their love as life’s greatest treasure.”
QUOTE: “To know the love of God is His desire for His children and to be the most cherished treasure in all of life.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim