Ephesians Devotionals
Bob Morris
To Him Be the Glory in the Church (Ephesians 3:20-21)
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.
God is always outdoing us. Whether in our attempts to love him in the measure he loves us, or in some way be worthy of his favour, he showers on us with blessings beyond our wildest dreams. It’s like working hard to scrape together the necessary cash to pay for next semester’s tuition only to discover that the next three years’ tuition plus an around-the-world airline ticket have already been fully paid by someone else. (We probably shouldn’t fantasize about such temporal things which are trivial in comparison to the “forever” glory he is working on!)
Not only does he do more than we can do, he does immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine. He is an extravagantly loving God! The really amazing thing about all this is that he doesn’t just do these things in spite of us, but invites our participation in them. So his power is at work within us, and his glory will be in the church as well as in Christ Jesus.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, in The Principle or Foundations wrote, “He is so great that all things give him glory if you mean they should.” Because the church is a “forever family”, that glory can begin now and be for ever and ever.
Why, then do we so often feel so inglorious? Paul certainly had no illusions about the church. Because he planted many churches, often in unprepared soil, he knew how fragile, how fractured and flawed the local church could be. Whether in the church in Corinth, Philippi or elsewhere, Paul was aware of virtually every weakness we might see in our own churches. In spite of that, Paul prays for God to be glorified in the church and in Christ Jesus.
In Christ Jesus we understand - but the church? Only because Paul saw the church as the dwelling place of God (Eph. 2: 21-2) could he pray such a prayer. Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2: 20), and God’s power is at work in the church to an extent we have not imagined.
Seeing the church as Paul saw it is critical to our boldness in inviting others to become part of it. The local church, with all its flaws, is the church where God’s glory is to dwell. The church is not some invisible, virtual group of wonderfully gifted and holy individuals who fulfill all God intended for us. Rather it is the ordinary people gathered week by week, warts and all, who struggle to worship and serve God, and together seek to understand his love. It is his power at work in us, and not our virtues, that bring him glory.
Father, may you be glorified in the church and in Christ Jesus today and forever. We acknowledge your power to do more than we imagine and pray for grace to be in reality what you have ordained we should be.
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