THE HOLY SPIRIT AND CHRIST'S INDWELLING

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Devotion 5 of 16

THOSE FOR WHOM PRAYER WAS MADE

It is essential to consider the individuals for whom this prayer was expressed. They are described as "the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus" (1:1). They had "trusted" in Christ after hearing "the Gospel" of their salvation, and were "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (1:13). Their "faith in the Lord Jesus" and "love unto all the saints" had been noised abroad (1:15). God had raised them from death "in trespasses and sins," and "made" them sit "together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (2:1-2,6). They were saved "by grace" and "through faith," and were God's "workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (2:5-10). They had been "made nigh by the blood of Christ," had "access by one Spirit unto the Father," and were "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (2:13,18-19). They were "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets," made suitable to be a "habitation of God through the Spirit" (2:20-22).

Those who imagine that getting into Christ is all there is to it, or that being delivered from sin is the place of ultimate arrival, have surely missed the point. There is a fulness to which believers have been appointed that is rarely the subject of proclamation or extended thought. Many a believer has never heard of the greatness of salvation. Most of what they hear relates to their duty, not what God has provided. That provision is the theme of our text.

There is unquestionable jeopardy in remaining on the outskirts of the circumference of redemption. The closer we are to the heart of it, the safer we are. The closer we come to the periphery, the closer we are to the devil, his snares, and his condemnation. Our text is a fervent prayer for believers to be brought into the holiest place where heaven becomes clearer than earth.

I cannot leave this section without commenting on what I believe to be the blight of Western world Christianity. While I do not mean to be critical, much of supposed conservative religion leaves the people at the threshold of Kingdom life. There is too much entertainment and carnal motivation in nominal Christendom. It is a miserable substitute for spiritual perception and life. Careers are too easily promoted, and worldly fame too readily advanced by the average church agenda.

An ambiance of Old Covenant manners hovers over the church like a dark and foreboding cloud. Religious involvements are largely seasonal and cyclical, like the feasts of old. Assemblies are as abrupt in their ending as they are in their beginning. The constancy of spiritual vitality and adequacy is rarely known. Spiritual death is at home in most churches. The absence of truly spiritual religion is a matter of great concern. This deficiency is addressed by the subject of these devotions: The Relationship of the Spirit to the Indwelling Christ.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You for what You have made me in Christ, and where You have placed me. Open my eyes to see how much is reserved for those in Christ, then give me grace to obtain it.

-- Tomorrow: THE GRANT --