Devotion for February 16, 2021 from Vicar Anand Darla, Good Shepherd South Asian Ministries:
“… that ye may know … what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead…” (Eph. 1:18-20).
God wants us to be filled completely with His power. It is by that power we conquer our temptations, trials and difficulties and by the same power one day we shall have immortal bodies (Rom. 8:11). It is the power of resurrection, that power which God manifested in raising up the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Upon the earth, we are being quickened daily with the same power to overcome our temptations and burdens. By the same power we shall be given immortal bodies in heaven and by that same power we shall enjoy eventually our share in God’s fullness. It is only by the power of resurrection that our inner man can be strengthened, and that we can be deeply rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:16, 17). We see tall trees on mountains. Let there be any big storm, the trees do not fall down, because their roots go very deep over large areas. That is why no storm can uproot them, rather they go on growing taller and taller and the roots go deeper.
In the same way by the power of resurrection, in the inner man, we are rooted deeply in the God’s Lord Jesus Christ. Let there be any trial, persecution or hardship, it will not shake us. We will rejoice in our trials and at the same time we will become stronger spiritually. As we grow spiritually, we know that eventually we shall be filled with God’s fullness. Thus, we will find in a practical way the love of God filling us more and more. We become loving, tender, patient and gentle as a result. We can love our enemies. We can love the unlovely and pray for those that hate us and curse us. That is the evidence of the fact that we are being deeply grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope is that one day, we will be filled by His fullness. God help us to learn that secret more and more.
May God Bless us richly
by Vicar Anand Darla GSSAM