Church Life

Mighty Power

Christianity Today March 31, 2017

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“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”

Ephesians 1:19–22

View in context

Today’s Verse

Our hearts are strengthened when we see that we do not need to live as though we are functionally helpless. This particular prayer request is where Paul concentrates, for if God were powerless he could not make his call effectual or give us assurance that he will finally bring us home to our inheritance.

God’s power is immeasurably great. Any religious person will agree with you on that statement. He makes volcanoes erupt, he directs dandelion seeds to their destination, and he is matchless in his might. But what makes our view of God’s power distinctly Christian is that God has used his immeasurable power to do three cosmos-altering things: He raised Jesus from the dead; he seated Jesus at his right hand, putting all things under Jesus’ feet; and he made Jesus head over all things for the church.

When we see with the eyes of our heart that we are alive in Christ, we understand that God’s immeasurably great power is toward us who believe. God in Christ conquered death and evil. This is very good news.

Reflect:
Read Ephesians 1:19–23. How does focusing on God’s immeasurable power help put daily worries or difficult life circumstances into perspective?

Pray:
In prayer, reflect on what God has drawn your attention to throughout this week exploring Ephesians 1. Invite the Holy Spirit to convict you of areas of needed growth as you seek to put this passage into practice in your life.

Gloria Furman is the author of Alive in Him and several other books. She lives with her family in Dubai. Content taken from Alive in Him: How Being Embraced by the Love of Christ Changes Everything by Gloria Furman, ©2017. Scripture quotations within these excerpts are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

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