God Is Able - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 4
God Is Able
By Emma Danzey
Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Able to Do Immeasurably More
Can you think of a time when you just got back from your favorite vacation? Or perhaps you just achieved a huge goal in life? Maybe you got one step closer to your dream? There were likely feelings of great happiness, accomplishment, amazement, and celebration. Whether it was an experience or a tangible award, whatever it might be, the mountain top moment is for sure to go down in your life history as a memorable one.
Ephesians 3:20-21 does not just say that God can do more than we ask or imagine, he can do immeasurably more. This means we cannot even estimate how much more our God can do. When we have that challenging work or homework assignment, He is able to help us through. When we go through a season of difficulty, He can give insurmountable strength. When we are raising the next generation, He can do a new work in them and use us in powerful ways. When we have a deep and unmet longing in our hearts, the Lord can fulfill us and reveal Himself as a treasure that is far greater than anything we could want. The fact is that our Creator and Savior is not just able to do more, He can do far greater things than our small human minds can wrap around. This is a Biblical truth, but how often do we forget this in our daily lives, in our prayers, and in our churches? We serve the God who is beyond our beyond.
Invited into His Work
What is beautiful about these verses, is that God not only does incredible work, He invites us into what He is doing. We have the privilege of the gift of the Holy Spirit within us. The Lord gives us His power and equips us to do amazing things on His behalf to share His love to the world. We are not only experiencing His immeasurably more, we are sharing it. He has given us the right to be His children and co-heirs. Our salvation in and of itself is exceedingly more than we could think up. Now, He has sealed us with His very own Spirit, commissioned us to share His gospel, and actively working through us for His glorious plans to be revealed.
To Him Be the Glory
I love how Ephesians 3:20-21 ends on giving God the full glory in the church, in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations forever. This is a reminder to us that no matter what God allows us to be a part of in His kingdom work, that is never about our own names, it is about fully glorifying the only worthy one, Jesus. We might get to experience some immeasurably more moments in our lifetimes. However, may we always remember that the Giver of the gifts is greater than the gifts themselves. The Savior of the world is better than the messenger. The glory goes to God and never to us.
I am sure in each of our lives there have been times when we have been tempted to take credit for what the Lord has done. If we are not keeping check, pride can easily creep in when we use our talents, or serve, or get recognized for a ministry we are involved in. We must be on our guard and regularly humble ourselves and remember that only the name of Jesus is to be worshiped and lifted up.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How has God done immeasurable more than you could imagine in your life? How has He invited you into the work that He is doing? Remember that we can be tempted to take the glory for ourselves, but may we always redirect it to Him in all things.
Further Reading:
Photo credit: Unsplash/IlVano
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
