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Ephesians 3:14–19 (NASB 95)

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Examine / Explain

So, how does this apply to us? In a world filled with tribulations, we too can find solace in the riches of God’s glory. We can draw strength from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, allowing Jesus to flow from our hearts through our faith. This understanding can help us fully comprehend the complete fullness of God, a profound and life-changing realization.

What’s the application?

2588 kardía – heart; “the affective center of our being” and the capacity of moral preference (volitional desire, choice; see P. Hughs, 2 Cor, 354); “desire-producer that makes us tick” (G. Archer), i.e our “desire-decisions” that establish who we really are.

What is a man without a heart? Literally and figuratively. A dead body? In our physical world, a man without a working heart doesn’t have the ability to move blood through the body and will die. In our spiritual world, a man with a working heart doesn’t have the ability to move the blood through the body and will die. Our hearts or the inner most part of us. Everything we are flows out of the heart. The words that come out of the mouth are the overflow of the heart. The mind must also make connections to the heart. As an addict, sometimes I had to make behavior changes and put up guardrails so that my heart could catch up to my mind. On the reverse, I believe we can lie to ourselves and convince our innermost being that we are worthless. The heart and mind are directly connected. With our fragile minds, can we fully comprehend the complete fullness of God? According to Paul, we may be able to. What is the fullness of God? Paul gives dimensions of a space, a four-dimensional space. Wide, long, tall, and deep. How can something be wide, long, tall, and deep? It seems counterintuitive or impossible. We do live in four dimensions: width, height, length, and time. Could it mean the depth of knowing Christ is what we do over time? It’s a journey until the time we are called home. The Greek word for height can also be used to refer to lofty places—the heavens. What if we comprehend His fullness in the depth of our hearts in this place He calls Earth? Wide is North to South; Long is East to West, height is from below to above, and depth is how far we can know Him. Is there any bottom the depth in which we could know Christ? How far can our hearts go in the heart of Christ? We can’t be perfect while we are here, but if we strive to look like Him daily, does our heart overflow with the love of Christ? Is the depth in our faith? We often talk about surface-level conversations. Maybe even surface-level belief in the God of the universe that then drives our mind to act out in ways that are not pleasing to Him. Maybe a depth is choosing to follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting without question and with a joyful heart. Can we know the depth to which we can go?

What’s my response?

Dad, do I have a joyful heart that serves and falls deeper in love with You? A human heart is deceitfully wicked, and who can trust it? We are the first people we lie to with our thoughts. How can we be a people for You with such issues? Faith. Community. Honest, open, and transparent with not only You but ourselves and our community. This is the key—the cheat code of life. You give forgiveness, I change my mind, and they help me find healing. How can I serve if I have bullet holes in me and my trauma is gushing out on everyone around me? You have given me the gift to dig in and dig out how I got here so I can grieve what I didn’t get or what was done to me. Now, I can help others do the same. You have a purpose and assignment for Angi and me. I pray that we never lose sight of it. Help us get to work and provide everything we ever need. I don’t want to become callous to blessing, joy, people, relationships, or putting in the work, learning disciplines, and loving others well. I need Your help to get there. Teach me to dive deep into the depth of who You are. Amen.