For His Glory

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

FOR HIS GLORY

Eph 3:20-21

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

NIV

Perhaps we should have included this last comment as part of the “For this reason” statement by Paul, but it can also be a stand-alone thought. So often we might get caught up in the concept that we do things in the church, but then that is us thinking the building is the church. It is God who is doing the work in the church because we are the church and he is able to do an unmeasurable amount more then we could ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us. Just to think about that is more then we can conceive or imagine. It would seem we limit God so much by looking at ourselves instead of him. We want to think about our abilities, or even when we include God, we talk about our gift as if he gave us this one gift and we have to use it. We come up with programs to do this or that in the church or to increase our numbers or offer just the right children’s services that would bring in new younger families. Maybe those things are God working in the church, but then if it was God then the church would be growing by leaps and bounds. Some are, maybe they see it like the hand of God at work, and then maybe they see it as their great abilities and knowledge in church growth. Maybe some do have human skills, and that is not all bad. But what is expressed here is the idea that God is at work within us and what He is able to do within us is far beyond any measure we can imagine. It may have nothing at all to do with the church as a building or an organization of human gatherings. It may have everything to do with our individual maturity as believers because of God’s power at work within us. Our spiritual growth, our being empowered to believe with all our heart and mind in his power at work in us so that he receives all the glory in the church, which is us. We are supposed to allow God to do all his work, express all his power in our lives, so He gets all the glory from anything we say or do. This again reminds us that in and of ourselves we have absolutely nothing to boast about, for it is the immeasurable power of God at work within us, for His glory.