Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Thought:  To me, knowing God is everything.  God is love; therefore knowing love is everything.

Question:  How can one "know" something that "surpasses knowledge"?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:19 (NIV):  "and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

First we must come to know how big God's love is, then we must move closer to knowing the love itself.  It is a quality "that surpasses knowledge."  (How can one "know something that surpasses knowledge??)  Once we "know" love this way we will "be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Can we be filled fully with God?  God is love.  To know God is to become so full of love that love rules all our behaviors, speech, desires, goals, etc.  The laws of God boil down to one word:  love.

I suppose God will fill us as much as we let Him.  If not quite full, or barely full, it would be our fault, not His.  Our job is to be fillable.  To me, making ourselves fillable is the key to successful Christianity because it diminishes self and magnifies God in us.  Our role is to let God be Himself in us.  We become channels only, earthy pots into which His glorious love is poured to fullness.  Our role is relinquishment, passivity, receptivity, submission, yieldedness, etc., to be filled.  Self must be emptied out to make room for Him.  Our will must be replaced by His will.  Then we will begin to "know" Him--He Who "surpasses knowledge."

Acquiring His love is quantitative, it has "measure."  One can actually "feel" the fruits of His love begin to work inside, begin to "fill up" the tragic void of lonely emptiness we all experience.  Love brings its accompanying sisters of joy and peace, patience and gentleness, kindness, meekness and self-control, faithfulness and goodness.  One may have some of these sisters, another more, and the more full person, all of them.  Or some may have them all the time but others only occasionally; but still in developing process, increasing their influence into every part of their lives.  This is why Paul prays.  He asks for the process to enlarge in all Christians, that love may grow and grow.  Paul seems to regard us Christians as empty, needy souls, hungry to be filled up.  And indeed, we are.  This is why Christ came:  to satisfy us, complement our spirits with His Holy Spirit that we were created to know originally, but lost in Eden.  Now we can have it all back--IN CHRIST.

How does love "surpass knowledge"?  To me, knowledge is a hard, cold, technical thing.  It is having all the facts.  Proverbs says, in all your getting, get wisdom.  To know alot of things is not the same as having wisdom.  Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge.  To me, love is the ability to both see God in your wisdom and also please Him in your application of it, using all your knowledge.  Because knowledge alone is not enough without the guidance of wisdom and the purpose of love, we thus can see how love is more valuable than knowledge, "surpassing" it.  An unknowledgable person can still have behaviors and attitudes that know God and please Him because He can be led of the Spirit.  Spirit-leading supercedes acquired knowledge.

Therefore we can "know" this thing that surpasses "knowledge."  When touched, led and filled by God's Spirit of love, we can "know love".  To "know love" (from God and in Christ) is to be better equipped, superior to, regular "knowledge."  Adam and Eve acquired the knowledge of good and evil, but it did not bring them nearer to love or to God Who is love.  Knowledge of evil separates people from God.  This is another way love surpasses knowledge:  it is pure.  Knowledge, by definition, must include the evil things:  they are facts that exist and cannot be overlooked.  But love is always overcoming the "facts" isn't it?  Love often operates very unpredictably, very scandalously, very extravagantly, very unreasonably, very unfairly.  I'm glad it does!

Prayer:  Father, I am so grateful that the "knowledge" of You surpasses earthly "known facts" and involves discovering the realm of Your Love.  Teach me all about Your Love, Father!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, the human mind needs to keep stretching its concept of the capacity of Christ's love--there is always more "room to grow."

Question:  Does love have size and dimension and therefore "limits"?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:18 (NIV):  "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,"

Paul is asking for us to "have power...to grasp" a spiritual truth; that Christ's love is huge!  We will succeed in our Christianity only to the degree we comprehend Christ's love.  Can we grasp how big it is?  Some might say "no"; that our finite minds are not able to comprehend the full "size" of God's love; that only in Heaven will we be enlightened.  But this prayer of Paul's seems to indicate otherwise.  We can obtain the "power of God" Himself to enable us to grasp the fullnes of His own love.  If success in Christianity is based on love, then we need to be able to grasp this truth; that Jesus' love is very wide, spreading way out past His own human contacts made by Him when He was alive on earth as a man, reaching every tribe, tongue and nation; that Jesus' love is very long, enduring, long past His time on earth, in fact, existing eternally, before time was ever invented, or, in the sense of length in measurement, His love is way beyond the "long" we could measure; that Jesus' love is very high, stretching up to impact Heaven itself, causing His own Name to be exalted "above every other Name" and drawing our souls up into Heaven with Him to be co-heirs; and that Jesus' love is very deep, in His plunging to the lowest recess of hell to save us, becoming sin in order to do so, being overcome temporarily by death to bring all of us everlastingly into life.  As our understanding and appreciation of all these truths grows through our study of God's Word and the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit, we continually develop further our comprehension of His love.  We begin to realize that we truly cannot plumb the extent of God's love--we will forever be discovering that it is always bigger than we thought.  Christ's love is like Himself:  unlimited in power, immeasureable in scope and eternal in endurance.

Paul prays that we all, both Ephesian Christians and "all the saints", will grow in understanidng this love.  To know love is to know God because God is Love.

Prayer:  Oh precious Lord of Love, by Your power, bring Your love to me in all its deep dimension, that I may know You better.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, the answer to all our prayers is the indwelling Christ.

Question:  Does your faith achieve a satisfying sense that Christ dwells in you?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:17 (NIV):  "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,"

The strengthening of the inner spiritual man is equivalent to Christ living in the center of that person's being, mentally, emotionally, in all ways.  To have Christ dwell "in your heart", to me, means holding Him at the center of self.  All our activities, thoughts, desires pivot around Him.  He is central, He occupies the throne of our will.  To "dwell" means to take up residence.  Christ takes up residence inside me, makes my inner man His home.  We take Him with us wherever we go, into whatever we do.  He is ever with us.  We house Him--we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

This indwelling is achieved through faith.  We believe it is so and it is so.  We believe it can be so because we have read in His Word that He wants it so.  "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

Any strength that is spiritual is, plainly and simply, Jesus alive in our central being.  And Jesus is alive in us, plainly and simply, by faith.

Paul also prays that this indwelling strength of Christ be bathed in love.  Christ comes to us in His love.  We ought to appreciate and receive His love, just the way He has chosen to give it, and I, for one, believe He has given it most graciously and freely!!  We are "rooted" in this graciousness.  God's extravagant giving is our basis, our root, our foundation.  Paul also prays that we be "established" in love, and that because we are set by God in His kind of love, we can grow on from there yet deeper and deeper into more love.  To "establish", to me, means to set firmly.  Established things do not waver, fall away or grow faint, they endure.  We will endure because of God's love.

Prayer:  Thank You, Oh Father of love, that all Your gifts are established in love, received by faith and lived out by the Christ living in us.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, we need to realize every day how much we need God's strength and power.

Question:  Have I been strengthened in my "inner being?"

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:16 (NIV):  "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being."  

Now Paul prays.  He prays for Ephesian Christians.  He brings down to these individuals all the power of this fantastic God.  When we read and study about God, and begin to experience His awesome greatness, we are much more convinced that He will help us and answer prayers.  God has plenty of "glorious riches" out of which He can give help!  He has unlimited power at His fingertips.  We do experience weakness, yes, but God "may strengthen you."  The prayer of any Christian leader, like Paul, should be for God's great power to become available to weak believers.

How does this "power" of God come to "strengthen" us?  It is the spirit, God's Holy Spirit combined with our individual human spirit, in the deep recesses of our mind and soul.  It is not the outer shell, the body, or even the emotional make-up that is empowered.

Paul prays for this to happen in the Ephesians.  He begs God for it to be so.  Why would we have to beg God to do what God wants very much already to do?  It's because we are involved.  We have to participate in having this prayer answered.  Is this not the spirit of prayer always?  That we are drawn into what God wants, our wills caused to bend toward God?  The prayer is not to move God do more, (He has done it all already!!), but to move us to come closer to God so that we can "have" what He has already "given", meeting Him on the "ground" He calls us to:  near to Him and dependent upon Him.

Prayer:  Lord, please do strengthen me with Your power through Your Spirit in my inner being, but also, Father, strengthen those I pray for in the same, awesome way.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, we are given a family name by our Heavenly Father.  Think of it!

Question:  Do I think often enough of being in God's family?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:15 (NIV):  "from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name."

Paul is describing God as Source of all life.  Every living soul, whether in Heaven or on earth, that comprises God's "family", is included here as having originated with God.  We all get "our name" from Him; that is, our image, our identity, our soul's eternality, our very breath of life.  This shows the unity of Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and freeman, etc., in God's scheme of things.  It doesn't matter what nationality, gender or role we had on earth--we all have God's image and become one in that image.   

Our identity, whether we realize it or not, or accept it or not, is all wrapped up in God.  The Fatherhood of God is unavoidable.  It is best for us if we embrace this truth and gladly accept the Father's authority over us. 

Prayer:  I am so glad I belong to Your family, Father!  Thanks for the name You've given me.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, humility is vital in the Christian life.

Question:  Do I regularly kneel before the Father?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:14 (NIV):  "For this reason I kneel before the Father,"

What reason brings Paul to his knees in worship of God?  No doubt all of chapter 3 thus far contributes to his awe of God:  1)  God's grace causing Paul to preach 2) the revelation of the mystery of the church 3) God's fore-plan of all His desires 4) the beauty of Christ, central figure of all acts of God with man, from Creation to Judgment 5) the education of Heaven's rulers in all these matters regarding the church, and, 6) the freedom and confidence fallen man can enjoy now in God through Jesus Christ, and too, 7) how suffering can produce glory.  Meditation on all these wonderful truths causes a person to collapse before God!  God is so  great!  And we love Him for what He has accomplished!

Kneeling before God also signifies subjection.  Paul worships God's greatness, and also happily puts himself at God's disposal, because He is worth serving.

Prayer:  In awesome respect and honor, oh King of Kings, I bow my heart to You now in worship:  how much You have done for man!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, our culture today needs to recognize the value of suffering!

Question:  Do I find purpose in what I suffer?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:13 (NIV):  "I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory."

Paul returns to speaking of his own ministry, as he began in verses 2 and 8 to tell them of grace given to him to teach.  He asks them not to be upset by the fact that he suffers many troubles in order to reach the gentiles.  Suffering is discouraging.  We don't want to suffer, nor do we want any of our loved ones to suffer.  But we need to learn the value of suffering--we need to appreciate its "glory."  What is suffering's "glory"?  Like a woman suffers in childbirth to bring life to a baby, so we must see our sufferings as gateways to life.  They prepare us to receive life.  I think without suffering, gifts of life would be taken for granted.  How can we love health without suffering illness?  How can we treasure righteousness without suffering under evil for a time?  How can we love well without shunning hatred and indifference?  How can the gospel be so precious if not opposed so strongly by the enemy who brings sufferings to slow it and defeat it?  The "glory" of suffering, to me, is that, first of all, this thing (the gospel) is worth dying for, worth facing any opposition for, worth giving up everything for.  Willingness to suffer brings nobility and depth and integrity to what is valued.  Paul is willing to suffer.  He treasures the gospel.

Thus the Ephesian Christians need not become discouraged.  Though there are negative circumstances, those very things become their glory as they willingly accept them in order to receive the truth from Paul. 

The "therefore" in this verse is a direct look back to Christ:  His power, His Lordship and the freedom and confidence our faith in Him produces.  It is because of Christ that we can endure suffering.  It is because of Christ that Paul endured suffering.

It's hard to watch someone else suffer.  The Ephesians had to watch Paul suffer.  It was upsetting, no doubt.  But out of this trouble and upset came new life to their souls--their "glory"!  We need to accept the suffering, both in ourselves and in others, as being the best way to "glory."  If we doubt it can be the "best" way, we need to look at Christ, Our Example.  He learned obedience in suffering; we need to asume Paul did as well--obedience to give out the gospel to "gentile dogs."

Prayer:  Thank You, Father, for the "glory" that comes through suffering.  Help me see more of it in all the ways I struggle and, through You, drive away discouragement.  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, no idealism, god or other belief system is as good as the person of Jesus Christ.

Question:  Do I think "largely enough" of Jesus Christ?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:12 (NIV):  "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

Paul has proven how vital and meaningful Jesus Christ our Lord is.  Christ is the central figure of God's great mystery.  Christ is the great unifier of Jew and Gentile.  Christ is our only mediator, our gospel bridge.  Christ is our very life!  He is the God/Man Who brings all mankind to God.  Paul refers in this verse to the "bridge" and "mediator" aspect of Christ.  We can approach God in and through Christ.  Without Jesus Christ we have absolutely no access to God the Father at all.  "In" and "through" and "with" Christ we have all access; that is, an access that is fully free, wide open and unrestricted.  Christ's work does not give us only a glimpse of God, it does not merely provide a crack through which we peek briefly, no, Christ's work swings the door widely open.  Remember, Christ tore the veil in the temple in two by His dying.  There is no separator left now at all.  Christ's work not only gives total access but also "confidence" concerning that access.  We know we can approach God because Christ's work not only gives total access but also "confidence" concerning that access.  We know we can approach God because Christ's blood is able to make us acceptable to God's gaze.  Christ is a completely competent sin-covering; of this we can be wholly confident.  He is competent because He is God!  If we are estranged from God and we attempt reconciliation ourselves we would indeed have cause to doubt; but reconciliation has been achieved by God, from His side of the camp, out of His will and choosing--not ours.  Therefore we may be confident.  God's provision of His own Son is totally sufficient for our need.

The reconciliation is received by us via faith.  The faith rests on Jesus' work, believing it was enough to save us.  Our life found "in Christ" is "through faith", that is, no reconcilation can come to us until we exercise faith toward it.  Faith is our part.  Faith is trusting.  To me, trust usually operates from a lower point "up" to a higher plane; that is, our sense of who or what we trust relies on the fact that that who or what is better, bigger, stronger, more capable and wiser than we are.  Certainly God's Son fits these criteria.  We receive a sense of security in believing in Jesus.  We feel safe in Him.  This is freeing.  This brings confidence.

Prayer:  Dear God, thank You for the immeasureably good gifts of "freedom" and "confidence."  Nothing is more valuable!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, Jesus is called "Lord" for good reason:  He rules in both spheres--heaven and earth.

Question:  Have I joined myself to God's "eternal purpose" by receiving Christ as my Lord?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:11 (NIV):  "according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."  

God has forever planned to accomplish much good through His Son; both good in heaven and on earth.  Maybe angels needed to learn more about God's goodness and wisdom, to have it affirmed to them again, after Lucifer's rebellion in which one third of their number fell.  We tend to think that earth is the only learner; perhaps this is not the case.  We well know the good Christ has accomplished on earth.  Do we consider what needed to be made known to rulers and authorities in heaven's realms?  Heaven has more eternality than does earth, though both "pass away."  Heavenly authorities existed before man, thus God's eternal purpose would include His created heavenly beings.  Jesus Christ, pre-eminant and eternal, has a great effect on both arenas.  God knew His purposes for both worlds and achieved them perfectly in Christ Jesus.  Remember, Jesus is exalted in Heaven having a Name above all others.  As all heaven worships Christ, God The Father's purposes are "accomplished."  Every eye, earthly and heavenly, looks to Jesus Christ.  The mystery of His accomplishments draws focus to Him, and with wonder and awe, all of Creation, both heaven and earth, worship.  This united worship, the pulling together of heaven and earth, carnal and spiritual, is only achieved by Jesus Christ, The God Who became flesh and lived among us for a time.  He is "our Lord" by way of this condescended life, becoming just like us, identifying completely with us--we can call Him "ours."  But He equally belongs to heaven.  This equal belonging to both spheres accomplishes all that God intended.

Prayer:  Father of perfection, You have worked Your marvellous purpose out so well--THANK YOU!  Amen. 

Thought:  To me, the church (body of Christ) is extremely valuable, not only upon earth but also "in the heavenly realms."

Question:  Have I perceived God's intentions through His plan for the church?

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:10 (NIV):  "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms."

God kept some things to Himself.  He is The Source of all things--it is only fitting that some elements remain with Him, and Him alone, and be kept "hidden in God."  God keeps these aspects within Himself only, for good reason.  But Paul says that God's intention was to reveal some of these hidden things through the church, that is, the body, the outgrowth, of Christ Who is Head.  To whom are the hidden things revealed?  To "the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms."  To me, these must be angels and the like.  The angels have desired to look into the workings of God on earth in man, apparently not being able to understand fully the way the gospel worked, or why God would cause it to work.  But according to Paul here, the existance and performance of the church here on earth, that is, what we believers are all doing under heaven, is revealing more and more to the angels the parts of the mystery they have longed to know.  That Christ should die for men has been a curious event in the eyes of the angels; but to see the development of the church must be a rewarding display of wisdom to them as it unfolds.  Christ has brought many "sons of God" with Him into "resurrection life"--members of the church body.  The church reveals Christ because we are His body, and Christ reveals to the heavenly realm the earthly realm because Christ became man.  The mystery of unifying men to God through Christ is uncovered in Heaven as intended by God through the development of the church.  As more and more souls are added to the church, the angels rejoice over each one and witness success to God's mysterious plan that brings souls to righteousness through Christ's blood.  As Heaven watches so much good continuing to come out of Jesus' death and resurrection there is more of God's wisdom seen in what He has planned and done.  His "wisdom" becomes "manifold", that is, greater and greater, in the eyes of Heaven's "rulers and authorities."  Their respect for God grows because of the church, and God intended it that way.

Prayer:  How thankful I am, Lord, to know a God Who has planned and intended so much good for so many people.  Amen. 

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