Coffee With The Lord

Think about it… “GOD’S GLORIOUS RICHES”!!!

This was Apostle Paul’s prayer…

“I pray that OUT OF HIS GLORIOUS RICHES he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 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.”  (Ephesians 3:14–21 NIV)

Let me tell you… “HIS GLORIOUS RICHES” would make the accumulated wealth of all the nations in the world look like abject squalor and poverty!  “HIS GLORIOUS RICHES” are abundantly adequate to meet all your deepest needs…

• All the inner strength you need to face all that life brings!
• The consciousness of God’s presence dwelling in your life every day!
• A deep and growing awareness of God’s absolutely incredible love for you!
• The knowledge that God’s “fullness” is completely adequate to meet your deepest needs!
• God’s ability to do even more than you can ask or imagine through His power at work within us!

Paul knew this to be true – he had experienced it personally!  In fact, Paul gave this personal assurance in another place was… “MY GOD will meet ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY by Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 4.19)

I’m blown away by His complete adequacy today… Just enjoying reflecting on the significance of “His glorious riches” today!!

Just an incredible “sip” today from God’s Word!

“I pray that from God’s glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit!  That Christ will make His home in your heart as you trust in Him. That your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is!  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully! Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God!”  (Ephesians 3:14–19 NLT)

We love to hear the stories of fellow “pilgrims” in the “faith-walk” we call the Christian life! They inspire and encourage us! We find ourselves uplifted, reinvigorated, instructed, and experiencing confident hope as we hear what God has done in and through the crises of their lives. Stories of God’s faithfulness… Stories of God’s steadfast love… Stories of His power… Stories of His provision… Stories of His protection… Stories of deliverance… Stories of His guidance and leadership… Stories! Stories!! Stories!!!

The Bible is filled with them – but hang around some Christ followers awhile and you’ll hear some more stories that reinforce and expand on the ones in the Bible. Stories of God active in the lives and experiences of people TODAY!

Today during “coffee with the Lord” I read a Psalm jam-packed with stories like that! Psalm 107 – I call it the “testimony service of the Old Testament” (It used to be, we’d have entire portions of church services dedicated to the stories of what God had done and was doing in our lives – we called them “Testimony services” – not a bad idea!) Although I don’t know the exact circumstances of all the stories in Psalm 107, while reading it over today, in my imagination it told the story…

• of a homeless person who finally found a home;
• of a rebellious youth whose bad choices almost destroyed his life, but he turned to the Lord and found deliverance;
• of a drug addict that experienced freedom from her bondage
• of a sailor who almost perished in a storm but was miraculously rescued

The Psalmist opens the “testimony service” with these words…

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…

Then each of the stories is told… each of the situations and stories I’ve referred to above. Oh how I love the repeated refrains… over and over the following words are repeated (four time – four different situations)!…

“They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress! … Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

Then the finale…

“Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders… Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord!” (From Psalm 107 ESV)

Sometime soon, perhaps even today, an opportunity is going to arise for you to honor God with one of your stories. Seize it! Take hold of the opportunity and use it to build, bless and encourage someone else to trust God in their situation!