2023 - Satisfied with Unending Love

Ephesians 3:14-19.

Praise God! Happy new year!!!

One of our favourite eat-out places as a student was Cosmo. My friends and I loved Cosmo because it was a buffet restaurant that offered world cuisines. So we often went hungry and prepared. The downside was that no matter how hungry we came, we always left the building staring at the other varieties of food we hadn't tasted. We were filled but never satisfied.

But there's a filling that satisfies - God's unending love.

After an encouraging letter to the wondering Gentile Church at Ephesus to remind them that in Christ they are one with the Jews and share the same promise in Christ (v6), Paul prays for the church (and a prayer for us) that by the power of the Holy Spirit:

Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith, v16-17.
- Dwell (not visit) speaks of the continuous presence of Jesus by His Spirit.
We would be rooted in, know and be filled with the love of Christ, v18-19.
- From having our roots in God's love to grasping the unending nature of this love - how wide, long, high and deep - to being filled.

The filling here of God's unending love is "to the measure of ALL the fullness of God" (v19). Unlike the Cosmo experience, God's unending love is an absolute satisfaction - we taste all the fullness through His Word and Spirit. God loves you!

Reflect & Pray

How does knowing that God's love truly satisfies encourage you? In what areas of life might you need to apply this truth?

I pray that Christ will dwell in our hearts through faith, and we will be satisfied with God's unending love by His Spirit's power, amen.

God bless you exceedingly,
Sam.

In Christ is all we need

Luke 5:1-11 NIV; 2 Peter 1:3 NIV. Praise God! Happy new year!!! One time, I was meeting friends for a game of badminton. When I arrived at the court, I noticed I had come with the wrong bag. I planned to play in shorts, but I played in trousers, and my very competitive friends were not merciful. Peter described the Christian life almost like my backpack experience, except that he made the right switch. He picked the one that had all he needed for his journey. In Luke's passage (Luke 5:1-11 NIV), he records Peter's first meeting with Jesus. It was at a time when he had toiled all night but couldn't catch any fish. So he parked his boat by the seashore. But when Jesus saw Peter's boat, he got into it and used it to teach the crowd the word of God - to meet their spiritual needs. Again, in displaying his divine miraculous power, he used the boat to provide much fish - to meet the physical needs of Pet

The Worshipped King

Matthew 2:1-12. Once, I was with some friends, and we saw a famous person; they all got very excited, but I did not. When they began chatting about the celebrity, they realised why I missed the excitement. Matthew presents Jesus in a famous manner that demands a response that those who know Him can not miss out on. The gospel begins by showing that the nature of Jesus' birth proves He is the one all history and prophecies point to. He is The Promised King. He is of David's lineage (Matthew 1:17, 2 Samuel 7:13). The Promised Saviour. He is the seed of a woman, i.e. not of man but of God, like the first Adam (Matthew 1:18, Genesis 3:15). The Promised Lord. He is Immanuel - God with us - Israel's God is here (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14). So the news is out that Israel's God - The Messiah King, The Saviour, The Lord - whom all generations hoped for is now here.

Psalm 91: A Complete Refuge 4

Psalm 91 [short series]. The Psalm is not only an assurance of God's refuge in this life but also a sermon of hope - a hope for a trouble-free, satisfying next life. The Psalmist describes the next life in the context of sight, what you will see. It's like sightseeing in a place with a restricted area, where you need a pass to get into. He mentions two sights: judgment (v8) and salvation (v16). And, for those in God's refuge, their sightseeing ends with salvation into a satisfying life. His Refuge is complete into the next life! Psalm 91:7-10, 16 So, two sights... You will see judgment (v7-10) Verse 7 begins by alluding to troubles in thousands falling around you but not coming near you. Does this mean if you trust God, no evil will befall you? Well, yes and no! It's an issue of timing - this life or the next life. Let's see how the Psalm unpacks this prom

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