Reading your Bible for Today November 9

November 9: Ephesians 3:16-19 

KJV Key Verse: Ephesians 3:19
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Devotion:
We are given many examples of how the disciples prayed for strengthening, not from the outside, but from the inside. Being with Jesus had taught them much and they were rapidly seeing just how weak they were in comparison to Christ. They were seeing how they continued to judge people and how they continued to look for outside strength instead of relying on what God can supply for them.

The unselfish desire of the author to wish that God would grant riches for those in the churches of Ephesus is clearly show. It is not the riches we see every day, but deep, hidden riches which only God can supply. He was not talking of gold, silver and great belonging, but the inner peace and comfort we all seek. After all, what use is a bucket full of money if there is nowhere to spend it!

We know we are living in the age of grace, where our sins have already been paid for. But that does not mean we all automatically get things paid for without our asking. We are the ones who have to acknowledge Christ is there and He can do everything for us. When we do that, and tell Him we are sorry for what we have done, He is able to forgive us. There is nothing we can physically do or see which will change anything. We have to simply believe He is our Saviour by faith.

He wants to know we are sincere about our belief! Simply going to church each week is not going to cut it with God. Simply giving our money and time to others will not get us to heaven. God wants to know how much we want Him as our Saviour from the heart. He wants to know we love and need Him and that we are not just sitting close to Him in the hopes something will rub off! For us to be able to find the love and peace which “passeth knowledge”, we have to make sure God knows we are sincere about our relationship with Him. At that stage He is just and faithful to show us true love and give us those inner riches!

Points to Ponder:
What do you treasure most from your friends, friendship or money?

What is your relationship like with God?