Ephesians 1:19-23

Ephesians 1:19-23

… and what is the extraordinary greatness of His power into us – the ones who believe according to the working of control of His might.  This He worked in Christ after raising Him up out of the dead and after seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places – considerably superior to every rule and authority and power and lordship and every name while being named, not only in this age but also in the one that is about to come.  And after bringing all things under His feet He also gave Him the head over all things for the church, which is His body – the fullness of the one who completes all in all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Yesterday we spoke about how faith and love leads to wisdom and revelation.  Revelation and wisdom lead to our calling in the hope of God.  Today we see that our calling leads to God’s control and His might.  Again we get the reinforcement from Paul that we are not the end of faith.  Rather, our relationship with God is ultimately for the working of His will and His power.  At first this might seem rather selfish on God’s part.  But think for a moment.  If I get my way, is it really going to be for the benefit of the whole world?  If you get your way, is it really going to be for the benefit of the whole world?  Only God is righteous enough for His will to truly be for the benefit of all mankind.  Our task is to conform our lives to His will.  That is the goal.

Is it difficult for you to be about God’s will as the goal of your life?  When is it not difficult?  When is it truly difficult?

Second Thought:

To illustrate why it should be about God, Paul gives us the example of Jesus.  God put His power on display in raising Christ from the dead.  It’s that simple.  God is not defeated by the barrier of death.  Human beings are.  Even as much as I may like to help the people around me, the reality is that I can do nothing about death.  God can.  God can conquer death as He demonstrated in Christ.

Is it humbling to realize that we can do nothing about death?  Why should this point help us accept our submission to God rather than keeping our life about ourselves?

Third Thought:

At the end of chapter 1 we hear about the church.  Let’s get two things straight.  First, the church is the body of Christ.  Christ is the head of the church.  To put it bluntly again, the body obeys the will of the head.  When Paul gives the definition of the church as the body of Christ, it is a definition rooted in submission.  Second, Paul tells us that through the church, Christ is the one who brings fullness – the all in all.  God’s plan for the redemption of the world started in Christ.  It now continues through us in Christ.  There is no plan B.  We are God’s plan to live as Christ lived, to speak as Christ spoke, to teach as Christ taught, and die to this world as Christ died.

How does it impact you to realize that there is no plan B – that the church is God’s plan for the world?  Why is important to see the depth to which Paul goes to constantly remind us that we are the hands and feet of God, implying our submission to Him?

Passage for Tomorrow: Ephesians 2:1-3