Fullness

“…Him who fills everything in every way.”  Ephesians 1:23

 

Sometimes, I am struck by how ridiculous God’s love for us is.  Maybe ridiculous isn’t the right word.  It’s amazing…incredible…unbelievable…unfathomable. J  He can love us – and fill us – and fulfill us in every way!

 

I am on a new Bible reading plan this year.  I call it my “Book-Bag”.  It’s not very scholarly…but basically I wrote all the names of the books of the Bible on little pieces of paper, stuck them in a sandwich bag, and will read them in the order I pick them out!  I’m actually quite excited about it.  I’ve read the Bible straight through, and chronologically, etc – and this is my new method of reading through God’s word.  And I have the feeling that He’ll guide me right to the books I am supposed to read at that time.

 

The first book I picked today was Ephesians.  I only got through one chapter and was overwhelmed by how good God is.  Check this out:

·         “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Ephesians 1:3

·         “In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance to His pleasure and will…”  Ephesians 1:4-5

·         “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace which He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”  Ephesians 1:7-8

·         “And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ…”  Ephesians 1:9

 

Whoa.  Not only has God given us EVERY spiritual blessing, but He redeems, forgives, adopts, and reveals the mystery of His will to us.  And if that’s not enough – He didn’t do it grudgingly or with reservations.  It was according to His pleasure and will, with all wisdom and understanding.  I never really noticed the “according to” phrases before. 

 

God knows and understands us – yet He is pleased to offer us fullness of life – at great cost to Himself.

What a great way to start a new year – God reminding me of His great love!  There’s so much sorrow and sadness and emptiness when I look only at present conditions here on this earth.  I’ll be traveling to my grandmother’s funeral tomorrow.  I’m sad that she’s gone – she was absolutely wonderful.  And realize that without the hope of Christ, life down here would seem to be so pointless…so empty. 

 

And yet we can know it’s not.

 

Ephesians 1:17-23 is a prayer – and one that I want to echo for myself this year:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised Him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in this present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under His feet and appointed him to be the head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”

 

In the midst of ups and downs this year, may we better know the hope, riches and power of God – and may all be to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:14). 

God truly can fill everything in every way.  Even us.

Happy 2013!