Love And Power Go Together

Ephesians 3:16-19 — "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Now, I am a boxing fan, but I realize some may not be. It goes back to my childhood. I started watching boxing because my dad used to box a little. Dad didn't watch much basketball, baseball, or football, but he did watch boxing. I guess that is what began to attract me to the sport. Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson. Lydia and the boys once gave me a picture of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston, and I have it hung at my house.

Well, I was also raised to love the Rocky movies. In Rocky II, Rocky's wife, Adrian, does not want him to box Apollo Creed again because of how badly he was injured in the first bout (Rocky I). Rocky is trying to train and prepare, and his trainer, Mickey, is watching him. Rocky is not into his training. He does not have the grit. He does not have the determination. He does not have whatever it takes to push forward and train to beat Apollo. The reason is simple: He knows Adrian does not want him to fight. He knows she is not pleased with his decision. Rocky tells his brother-in-law, Paulie, to talk with her. He tells his sister that he can't train because his mind is all messed up.

Under stress, Adrian goes to the hospital and is in a coma for a few weeks. In a climatic moment in the movie, when she comes out of the coma, Rocky is there. He hasn't been training at all. Ultimately, Adrian looks at Rocky and says, "There's one thing I want you to do for me... Win!"

That statement changes everything. Now, the training music comes up in the background. All of a sudden, Rocky is doing one-arm pushups. He is running up the stairs. He is training the way he was always supposed to train. What happened? Nothing changed physically. Nothing changed circumstantially. What changed was the heart behind the training. He needed to know Adrian was with him. He needed to know her acceptance and her support for what he was doing.

I don't know if this is true about women, but I believe most men would agree with this observation. Many ambitious men, who can accomplish anything they set their minds to, are ready and able to tackle the world... as long as they have a supportive wife and their relationships at home are going well. They want (and need) to know that their wife is proud of them. This is an example of how love and power often go together.

Spiritually, the same principle applies to the Christian life. In Ephesians 3, Paul is not praying for physical strength. He is not praying for outward circumstances to change. He is praying for strength deep in the inner person, where the real battles are fought. The prayer for spiritual strength is connected with knowing the love of Christ experientially!

Sometimes we are asking God for strength. "God, I need more strength. I need more strength to love. I need more strength to forgive. I need more strength to live the Christian life..." However, God's answer for us can be found in the concept from Ephesians 3. When your heart is bathed in the love of Jesus, the power to live the Christian life is unsuppressible. You will have the strength when you need it. Love empowers you to live the Christian life. Love for God and the love of God.

If Christians have the spiritual strength that God offers, they can take on anything this world brings their way. Remember Rocky? Knowing Adrian's love strengthened him. Nothing changed physically. Nothing changed circumstantially. What changed was the love.

When the love was felt, the power came. Where does the strength come from to live the Christian life? It comes from understanding and feeling God's love for us and through us.

Reflection Question: Are you asking God to change your circumstances when what you really need is His strength in your inner man?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I do not just need an easier situation. I need Your strength on the inside. Strengthen me with might by Your Spirit in my inner man, and help me fully appreciate and understand Your great love for me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21