That title should get many curious, but God does not bless us based on our love for Him, or our good works toward Him. God blesses us based on his love toward us. God’s blessing are not given us based on the measure of our performance, but rather based on the security of His promises.
There are many people who go about bragging of their love for God. They have the mistaken notion that God will bless them commensurate with their love for Him and their good works. Well, let me just say, that’s wrong. If I tell you God will bless you based on your love for him, now you have to decide how to work to love him more and more. That’s not grace. It’s religion and legalism. It’s self effort once again. It’s performance. So let me prove what I’ve just said. That being that it’s not our love for God, but rather His love for us.
Ephesians 3:14-21.
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
I like the New Living translation.
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,
As I studied these verses, I couldn’t get past the statement made by Paul in this verse 14. “When I think of all this”. Immediately the question popped into my mind – “think of all what”? So I looked before this verse 14 all the way to verse 1 of chapter 3. What I saw startled me, because it says the same thing. “When I think of all this”.
Well, that caused me to move into Chapter 2 and here’s just a few things I found. Study this for yourselves and see what you find.
Ephesians 2
Verse 1 “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.” I noticed that was past tense, so what am I now? Read on.
Verse 2 “You used to live in sin”. Have to keep studying, because here’s another past tense statement.
Verse 3 “By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.” Again it’s past tense. Keep on studying, because the next verse will totally set you free.
Verse 4,5. 4 “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
Here we see one of the big “buts” in the bible. Did you notice it’s His mercy and love? He gave us life only by His grace. Come on. That’s only 5 verses of chapter 2. In your study time keep going through chapter 2 all the way through verse 14 of chapter 3 and it will be clear why Paul said twice “When I think of all this”. So, continuing on with Chapter 3.
15 the creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.
It’s Him empowering us through His Spirit. It’s not us trying to empower ourselves through our ability. Time to give up and yield to God’s empowering presence in our lives.
17 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.
As you trust Him! Many people say that they love God, but do they trust Him? What does that mean? It means putting all your faith in the finished work of the cross and quit trying to be righteous on your ability. Let God perfect you. Let God make you holy. Let God work for you.
18 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.
Understand! To understand takes an experience. Whenever we teach, we always declare faith be wrapped around the truth that has been taught. Then we declare a further revelation of that truth, that leads to an experience, that brings understanding. A revelation without an experience that leads to understanding only serves to make you more religious.
19 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.
Many in the church world today have no understanding of the greatness of God’s love for them. Many do not even believe God could love them. Let me tell you, God is beside Himself with ecstatic love for you. He can hardly contain Himself because of how much He loves you.
I came to realize His great love for me some time ago. It came through the revelation of His great grace. Yet, with the revelation I have of His great love for me, this verse says it is too great to fully understand. Wow. That’s like the next verse that says He is able to do infinitely more than we might ask or think. That ought to give us great hope and anticipation.
20 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.
It’s God who is able and it’s His ability working within us. That’s how He accomplishes infinitely more than we might ask or think. That means imagine. I have a vivid yet wild imagination. To think He can do far exceeding abundantly above what I can imagine just blows me away.
21 Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Okay, so if it’s His love for us and not our love for Him, what do we have to do. Easy. It’s in the scripture we just read. Look at vs 17-19. Verse 17 says trust in Him. Verse 18 says have the power to understand as all God’s people should. Verse 19 says experience the love of Christ. This is the key. The love OF Christ, not the love FOR Christ.
Once we realize that, once we understand that, once we trust in that and in Him, then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. The emphasis is on the love of Christ.
As always we get push back from the "Ya but" legalistic, religious crowd who say "Ya but, what about Faith. You forgot that faith is a huge part of God blessing us. Well, we will look at that in part 2. Grace and Peace.
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