Today's reading: 2 Samuel 20; Ephesians 3
The indwelling Holy Spirit is a theological truth that is so easy to gloss over when the reality of it should be absolutely mind-blowing.
When we come to know the Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts, and He empowers us to actually live the Christian life we are called to live. However, while God tells us this is true, it isn't something we feel or experience in an overt way, making it an easy truth to ignore or neglect. And I will fully admit that I am all too often guilty of this neglect myself.
But as I got to the end of Ephesians 3 I was struck by the last sentence of the chapter,
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
On the one hand, Paul points his readers to the immense, unimaginable power of God who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. God is the infinite creator and sustainer of all that exists. There is nothing that can be done that He cannot do, and as the author of all things, even things that would otherwise be entirely impossible, He is able to make possible by the exercise of His power. Even when we are "praying big," Paul tells us, we are not even scratching the surface of what God is capable of. His power is far beyond all that we ask or think, meaning no matter how much we try to wrap our heads around it, and no matter how "big" and powerful we try to conceive of God as being, he is still able to do far more abundantly beyond what we are imagining even then!
But the the real kicker for me this morning was not so much the power of God, but what Paul says next, "according to the power at work within us..." It is one thing to recognize the unimaginably infinite power of God "out there" somewhere, but it is another thing entirely to realize that that is the same power that has come to dwell in us through faith in Christ. I never really think about that. I think about the Holy Spirit, and I recognize that He empowers us, but I think in my head, despite what I know theologically, it's just a much smaller power. To use a very crude analogy, if God is the power plant, I give the Holy Spirit credit somewhere more in the realm of a car battery. I recognize that He empowers us, but day in and day out I am not considering that the full power of the infinite creator of the universe is residing and at work in me...
If I actually took this truth to heart and operated as though I really believed practically what I believe theologically, how would my life look different? I don't have an answer to this right now, but I'm going to commit some time over the next days and weeks to sit before the Lord on this question. I don't want my theology to be merely theoretical, and the Holy Spirit is way too important of a reality to just be glossing over as I tend to do.
God, open my eyes to just how amazing the truth and reality of your indwelling Spirit really is, and show me how you would have my life look different in response.
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