Big Idea
God is doing more in us and through us than we can see in the moment.
1. God Doesn't Waste What He Allows
“I…a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
- Paul recognizes that Rome may have put the chains around his wrists, but Rome wasn't ultimately writing his story.
- He believed that if God had allowed him to be there, God could accomplish something through him being there.
You cannot always see what God is doing through what God is allowing.
2. The Mystery Is That Everyone Gets to Come Near
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” — 2:13
The Gospel doesn't simply bring us near to God. It brings us near to God together.
3. Grace Gives Us a Place We Could Never Earn
- He suffers from a really good memory of grace.
- Paul never got over what grace had rescued him from.
The moment serving Jesus becomes something we think God owes us, we've forgotten grace.
We don't approach God like strangers hoping to get an audience with a King.
We approach the King as sons and daughters who have been given access by His Son.
THE TURN — “For This Reason…”
if Paul could pray one thing over this Church he loves, what would he pray?
He prays for something to happen deep inside God's people.
Strengthened with God's Power
Ephesians 3:14–16
Ephesians 3:17 “…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”
Ephesians 3:18–19 “…breadth and length and height and depth…”
Ephesians 3:19 “…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
STRENGTHENED BY HIS POWER
↓
CHRIST DWELLING WITHIN US
↓
ROOTED IN HIS LOVE
↓
GRASPING HIS LOVE TOGETHER
↓
FILLED WITH HIS FULLNESS
Can God actually do all of that?
3-Day Devotional
Day 1 — God Doesn't Waste What He Allows
Read: Ephesians 3:1–2
Paul was in prison because he had faithfully followed God's call to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. Yet Paul doesn't introduce himself as a prisoner of Rome or Caesar. He calls himself “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
Paul knew that people had treated him unjustly, but he also believed that God was still in control of his story.
The Ephesian church probably would have preferred having Paul with them instead of receiving a letter from him. But because Paul was imprisoned, he wrote words that God has used to encourage and teach Christians for generations.
They got a letter because Paul got a prison.
Paul couldn't see everything God was doing through his circumstances. Neither can we.
Sometimes we ask, “God, why are You allowing this?” We may not receive an immediate answer. But we can trust that circumstances that surprise us never surprise God.
Think About It:
What difficult or unexpected circumstance are you struggling to understand right now? How would your perspective change if you believed God could use it for something you cannot yet see?
Pray:
Father, help me trust You when I cannot understand what You are doing. Remind me that You are still at work even when life doesn't go according to my plans. Use every part of my story for Your glory. Amen.
Day 2 — You Belong Here
Read: Ephesians 3:6–12
Paul describes something that would have been shocking to many people in his day. Gentiles were not simply allowed to stand somewhere near God's people. Through Jesus, they had become:
Fellow heirs.
Members of the same body.
Partakers of the same promise.
People who had once been far away had been brought near.
But Paul doesn't respond to his own place in God's plan with pride. He calls himself “the very least of all the saints.” Paul remembered who he had been before Jesus changed his life.
Grace gave Paul a place he could never earn—and the same is true for us.
That means we don't look down on people who need grace because grace is the only reason any of us belong.
And because of Jesus, Paul says we now have “boldness and access with confidence” before God.
You don't have to wonder whether God will receive you. Jesus has given you access to the Father.
Think About It:
Has remembering God's grace made you more gracious toward others? Is there someone you have difficulty seeing as a person Jesus wants to bring near?
Pray:
Jesus, thank You for bringing me near when I could never earn my way to You. Keep me humble by reminding me of Your grace. Help me extend that same grace to others and confidently come to You as my Father. Amen.
Day 3 — More Than You Can Imagine
Read: Ephesians 3:14–21
Paul could have prayed for almost anything.
He could have asked God to get him out of prison. He could have prayed for Rome to change. Instead, Paul prayed that something would happen inside God's people.
His prayer builds:
Strengthened by His power.
↓
Christ dwelling deeply within us.
↓
Rooted in His love.
↓
Grasping His love together.
↓
Filled with His fullness.
Paul doesn't simply pray for better circumstances. He prays for stronger believers.
Then Paul finishes by declaring:
God is able to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.”
The same power Paul prayed for in verse 16 is described in verse 20 as the power already “at work within us.”
God isn't finished with you.
And He isn't simply working for you. He is working within you so that His glory can be displayed through you.
Think About It:
Where are you mainly asking God to change what is happening around you? What might it look like to also pray, “God, strengthen what You're doing within me”?
Pray:
Father, strengthen me through Your Spirit. Make every part of my life a home for Jesus. Root me deeply in Your love and help me understand more of how much Christ loves me. Fill me with Your fullness and do more in me and through me than I could ever imagine. May my life bring You glory. Amen.