Grasp
by Ron Scurfield
Our scripture verses today form part of the prayer of the Apostle Paul for ‘the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus’ (Ephesians 1:1). As Christians we are rooted in love. This is the basis on which the gospel is established: ‘God so loved the world that he gave…’ (John 3:16). It’s the cornerstone of our faith and central to our relationship with God. And it’s on this truth that Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is based.
His prayer is that they ‘may have power, together with all the saints...’ Note that he is now addressing the whole body of Christ, not just the faithful in Ephesus. That includes you and me. Not that we may have power just for the sake of it, or even power to do God’s will or to overcome the tactics of the enemy, but ‘to grasp... the love of Christ.’
That’s all. Just to take a firm hold of it – to grasp - the full extent of the love which God has lavished upon us, and draw Him to ourselves. Let us even allow Him to draw us closer to Himself, that we might ‘approach the throne of grace with boldness’ (Hebrews 4:16).
God is reaching out to us with this priceless gift saying, “Take it. It’s yours. I want you to have it; all of it. This is what I gave my son’s life for (John 15:13).” He wants us ‘to know this love’ that is far beyond our understanding, ‘that you may come to know practically, through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ’ (Amplified Bible)). And enter into that haven of acceptance and loving oneness with God.
When we begin to realise there’s no catch, no demands or conditions, we can tentatively reach out and receive… grasp, and hold on to His love. Then we discover its full depth as we come to know Him, and are ‘filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.’
The Amplified Bible spells this out more clearly: That you ‘may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!’ (Ephesians 3:19b, AMP).
Prayer: Lord, You gave everything that I might receive Your fullness. I’m not worthy to receive even a portion of Your grace, but because of the cross I can now reach out, without hesitation, and take hold of that for which You took hold of me. I can receive Your love, freely without fear or condemnation, and walk out of my darkness into Your glorious light. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
Ron Scurfield with his wife Jill, are part of the Associate Ministry Team at Ellel Grange and occasionally Ellel Scotland. Ron enjoys walking and writing and meeting interesting people, but his greatest joy is seeing God transform lives, setting people free to live the abundant life that Jesus intended.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
