Scripture: Ephesians 3:16–19
that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
The small ruler
I will be ready for the future when I finally feel strong enough to handle it.
The grace I receive
God has already been strengthening me within, even where the change is quiet.
Reflection
Yesterday we came to the end of Love Beyond Measure.
For thirty-one days we have been paying attention to what God is doing within us. We have talked about belonging, grace, resurrection power, being brought near, being rooted in love, walking from grace, living as light, and standing in the strength God gives.
It would be easy to finish a journey like that and immediately ask, What do I do next?
Maybe there is another question to consider first.
What has changed within me?
You may not have a dramatic answer. Most spiritual formation does not announce itself that way. We often recognize it later, when a situation that once would have overwhelmed us does not have quite the same power.
Maybe you recover from fear a little faster. Maybe shame does not keep you hidden as long. Maybe you notice God’s presence sooner. Maybe you are less compelled to defend yourself. Maybe there are moments when love has become more natural than reaction.
Those changes matter.
Paul prayed that believers would be strengthened with power through the Spirit in the inward person. He connected that inner strength with Christ dwelling in the heart and with being rooted and grounded in love.
Strength, in Paul’s prayer, is not hardness. It is coherence. The life within us begins to come together around the presence and love of Christ.
A coherent person does not have to know what will happen next in order to remain themselves. They can enter uncertainty without every change becoming a threat to their identity.
The future may still feel bigger than you think you can handle.
That feeling does not mean you are unprepared.
You are not entering what comes next as the person you were before God began this work. Everything He has been forming within you is still here.
You know where you belong. You know where your strength comes from. You are beginning to recognize the Spirit’s movement within you. Love is becoming more than an idea you believe. It is becoming a place from which you live.
You do not have to rush away from that.
Let it settle.
Before we begin asking what the future may require, notice the person who will meet it.
You may be stronger than you know.
A prayer of presence
God,
I am often quicker to notice what is unfinished than what You have already formed. Help me recognize the quiet strength of Your Spirit within me. Let the love I have received settle more deeply into who I am. When the future feels larger than I can handle, remind me that I do not enter it alone or unchanged. Your life is already at work within me.
– Amen
A practice of grace
Take a few quiet minutes and look back over the past month. Do not evaluate how well you completed the devotions. Instead, ask, “What feels different within me?” Notice one change, however small, and receive it as evidence that formation is already happening.
Consider this...
Where am I stronger, steadier, or more aware of God than I was a month ago?
Carry this prayer with you today
Breathe in: God strengthens me within...
Breathe out: ... I do not face the future alone
Continue the journey
If this devotion helped you pause, breathe, and receive the mind of Christ today, you are invited to continue walking through the full At the Threshold 4-day series.
Read the next devotion, carry the breath prayer with you, and let this become more than a thought for the day. Let it become a quiet practice of renewal.
See the pattern. Hear the teaching. Live the prayer.
You can also listen to the companion reflections on Still, Here and follow the deeper Bible teaching through The Bible Unplugged at Power Love & Miracles.