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More than We Dare to Ask; Super-abundantly
Andrea Lende • December 28, 2020
Ephesians 3:20-21
More than We Dare to Ask; Super-abundantly
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/More-than-We-Dare-to-Ask-Super-abundantly-eoa9j1
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to Him Who, by the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-”
“To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).”
All to the glory of God.
All to His glory.
His power that is in us carries out His plan.
His purpose for His glory.
And according to Paul, God’s plan is bigger than we can possibly ever dream or think up.
He plans to do BIG things through us.
There is no other way for Him to work.
It has to be through us.
Paul says that His plan is “infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams”.
It seems we need to prepare ourselves for such a plan.
How can we serve the Lord, God Almighty, and be the vehicle through which He will carry out such a plan?
How can we ready ourselves?
There are a few ways I can prepare my heart, so I am able to be used by Him.
One way is to study Him.
Study His Word.
Another is to spend time in His presence through prayer and praise.
I also need to be willing to change.
Allow Him to mold and shape my heart and mind.
Lastly, I need to be willing to be obedient to Him.
I have to open up my heart to hear Him and then be intentional about following His call.
Follow His gentle whispers which ultimately change my heart.
When He asks me to serve, I serve.
When He asks me to apologize, I apologize.
When He asks me to listen, I listen.
When He asks me to care for someone, I care.
When He asks me to give, I give.
When I do these things, He creates a new heart in me.
He creates habits in me.
He also increases my faith.
And He instills complete devotion to Him.
Today I am thankful beyond measure for the things He will do in my life that are beyond my “highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams”
all for His glory.
May you find the Lord is readying you for His service and will do things beyond your imagination, super-abundantly in your life.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me Your power is above all I can imagine or understand. Thank You for reminding me You are at work in me and will do great things in my life for Your glory. I pray You ready me for Your service. I pray You continue to change my heart and bend my will to Yours. Help me be obedient to Your call and be intentional with my time with You. May I sit in Your presence for these few precious moments so You can change whatever needs changing in my heart. Keep my heart soft toward You, Lord. Keep my heart loving You through all of life’s trials and tribulations. Thank You for shaping and molding my soul as You do Your work in me. Help me be willing to change and be fully moldable in Your hands. Keep me Yours, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the great I AM, and I AM doing great things in your life for My glory.
Response: Ready me for Your service, Lord, and for all that You have for me to do.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.