Ephesians 3:14-19
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks about Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith. When He dwells in us, we will be grounded in love because God is love. It is beyond our comprehension the magnitude of that love. We just have to try to understand. Jesus said in John 15, “Greater love has no one that this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We are His friends if we put our faith and trust in Him.
This week, I was at Vacation Bible School Sports Camp. I spent the week with young people from four to twenty four. The campers were four to ten with older youth as leaders and volunteers. It was awesome to watch the growth in all the age groups. The kids are learning new things and growing in the Lord. The leaders are gaining confidence as they help build the younger ones. The adults are gaining love and respect for the youth while helping them guide the younger ones. And the organizers are seeing the fruits of their labors come to fruition remembering why we do this in the first place. It is a wonderful time all around.
Thursday is the day we invite the kids into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Things all week have been leading up to this moment. The Lord has helped us prepare for a time when He will knock at the door of their hearts and ask to be let in. This will be the beginning of a loving friendship that will last for eternity. He will never leave nor forsake any of us if we invite Him in. The Sports Ministry Team did a great job of setting the stage and explaining what it means to follow a Risen Lord. Now the time has come for us to ask the question. “Do you want to start an eternal friendship with Jesus?”
What about you? Do you have such a friendship? Times look dark. Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But God is still on the throne. When the outlook isn’t so good, try the uplook. It is always better. Put your faith and trust in the One who will always be your friend and always love and protect you!
At the moment after the introduction and invitation, the kids are invited to join us in another room to answer any questions and to go through the 4 steps to God. We tell them that God loves them (and you), that we are all sinners, that Jesus paid the price for those sins and that, now, we can receive the gift of His grace and forgiveness by inviting Him into our hearts. He will be our Lord, Savior and Friend forever. I got the chance, with God’s help, to explain that to sixteen second and third graders who said they wanted to begin a friendship with Jesus. It was awesome. At a time when the world spews hatred, sixteen young ones in my group entered into a loving relationship which will change them forever. They became children of God. There were others in the rest of the grades as well. God showed us again the height and width and depth of His love and continues to offer it daily. I know how dark things look at times. I ask you today to look toward the Light. The Light of the world loves you. Shine today letting that Light which is inside you burst out!
Father, thank You that You wait patiently for each one of your children to come to You. You do not force Your way in but gently knock at the door of our hearts hoping that we will open the door and invite You in. Thank You that many kids threw open the door yesterday. We pray that many more children of all ages will open the door today, that You may abide with them too! In Your name we pray! Amen!