August 4 | Ephesians 3:14-21

Pam Mann
Aug 4
3 min read

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

BEING ROOTED

By Pam Mann

Paul’s first readers of this letter were believers in Ephesus. Paul, arrested for preaching the gospel, writes to those believers and us from prison. Paul’s imprisonment is temporary just as our present difficulties are temporary. Our root connection with Jesus Christ, however, is forever!

We can only imagine Paul’s meager rations, unpleasant circumstances, and his regret that imprisonment keeps him from preaching. What he writes to the Ephesians shows us what masterful focus he maintained on what matters most and longest: God’s work for us and in us.

Paul writes about both things which are realities without our prayerful involvement and also things which he prays might become a reality for us. First, he states that every family derives its name from God. He assures us of God’s glorious riches and of His power available to us in Christ. Then, he explains what he prays for us, what is possible for us that:

1) That God the Father might strengthen us through the Spirit in our inner being

2) That Christ might dwell in our hearts through faith

3) That, as a result of being rooted in Christ, we, like all God’s people, have the power to experience the vastness of Christ’s love.

Regardless of what my spiritual health may be today, God is constant in His power, in His glory, in His deep compassion, and in His desire for me to know Him intimately. I am the

one who can get distracted or totally turned around in the wrong direction. The good news is that we have a heavenly Father who’s calling us home. Jesus is reaching out to us and wanting us to lean deeper into His grace and mercy. The Holy Spirit is eager to fuel our work in God’s kingdom, to melt the hardened parts of our hearts, to empower our next step in faith.

What Paul prays for the saints in Ephesians and for all who will read this letter after them is all-in participation, not a spectator sport. If we want what Paul is praying here, we are not simply sitting in a pew. We are in the game. We are jumping in. We are talking with the Lord throughout the day. We’re giving regular time to Bible reading, to fellowship with other believers, to serving where God is calling us. It’s in joining God in whatever He has for us that we discover how expansive the love of Jesus is.

There’s a tearful scene on Acts 20:17-38 where Paul says his final goodbye to the church leaders from Ephesus. Paul had stayed three years in Ephesus, so he really got to know folks. He’s concerned that they don’t get off-track with whatever twisted teaching may come their way. It’s not surprising he wrote this letter that we’ve read in part today. It’s a letter that’s very clear about who God is and who we are in Christ. If we keep those two things straight, we won’t get lost, will we?

PRAYER

Jesus, be rooted in our hearts a little more today that we might know You better, fall in love with You more deeply, and serve You more eagerly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.