Grains of Sand

My prayer for all of you out there in cyberspace who might read this post: " I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love , may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ , and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God " –Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV. It's all there: 1. The saving faith that comes from him and brings us unto a personal and intimate relationship with him expressed in " so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith ." 2. The growth and permanence of that relationship expressed in " rooted and established in love ." 3. The power that buries "me" to embrace him as I discover the truth of " how wide and long...

What looks like one thing often turns out to be something different when seen in its context. That's true with this well-known verse of Scripture: " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened " —Matthew 7:7, 8. And everyone rushes into God's presence with his wish list. Since Jesus used an illustration about food to describe God's perfect responses to this prayer, we immediately think material things when we claim this verse. But context is everything. In Luke's Gospel, these verses are summed up this way: " If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! " (11:13). Holy Spirit? What's He got to do with food, clothing, financial security, health, job opportunities—all the things o...