The passage for the 1st day of #Intercede2018 (Booklet, PDF) is on Ephesians 3:14-19. Here Paul shares his prayer for the Christians in Ephesus – for his ‘spiritual children’ :
- to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being
- that Christ may dwell in your hearts
- be rooted and grounded in love
- have strength to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth
- and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge
- that you may be filled with all the fullness of God
As I read (and re-read) this passage, I see in my mind my son, my daughter, my wife. This is my prayer for them as well! This was exactly what I was thinking about yesterday. It would be so awesome if this becomes a lifestyle for them.
But wait… this sounds like a sad case of “do as I say, but not as I do”…
The reality is, for my family to experience these things, I have to lead them. I have to model this life for them. Then let’s say I am able to live out this ‘filled’ life, it’s all meaningless if I’m not with them. How can I lead them, model to them, if they can’t see me? I need to be present – yes, physically – in their lives.
I’ve known this at the back of my head for a while, but this time I’m calling it out. I have two very big problems:
- For my family to live abundant lives in Christ, I must lead by example
- For me to lead by example, I must be physically – and mentally, emotionally -present in their lives
Good thing it’s P&F week…