Ephesians 3:16

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

God's glorious riches are unlimited. We think of wealthy people as being beyond the financial limits that constrain most of us. To people in developing countries, those of us who live average lives seem to them to be wealthy beyond imagination.

but God's glorious riches are in every way unlimited. The God who created the universe with a word is not limited by physical resources. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the Psalmist tells us.

The glorious riches of God, though, are not merely physical. He commands a billion human servants and an untold number of angels. He can redirect the courses of nations with just a thought.

a million words cannot come close to describing these glorious riches, out of which He strengthens us.

God is not a hoarder. He does not store up these rich is for his own glory, although He could if He chose to. Instead, He shares them with us, His beloved people.

it is a quality of love that we want to share what we have and who we are with those whom we love. I may not be inclined to give $1,000 to my neighbour down the street, but I will share all I have with my children .

so God shares His riches with us because He loves us and He wants to strengthen our trust in Him.

one way that God strengthens us is through provision of our needs. I have seen on many occasions that the laws of economics fail when God is involved. He equips us to do more with less. He provides things that we could not have dreamed of. All of this is His good pleasure.

another way that God strengthens us is through the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22. We may think that it is impossible for us to fulfil the calling that God has on our lives, but He will give an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities will not only enable us to do a task, but to become more like Jesus in the process.

Paul prays that God will strengthen us with power through the Spirit.

the power of God is demonstrated through the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12, and in the book of Acts. The power of God flows through a heart that is totally surrendered to God's purposes.

when we speak out what God is saying, we may speak words of knowledge and wisdom or prophecy. When we minister the power of God, we see healings, miracles, and deliverance from evil spirits.

we may be strengthened in power through prayers that are answered. There is nothing that encourages faith so much as prayers being answered both through natural and miraculous methods. Many have poured out their hearts to the Lord seeking a blessing that seems impossible and have been awestruck when God came through.

in all of these ways, and many more, God strengthens us. These are manifestations of the power of God.

all of this is brought about by God's spirit, the Holy Spirit, in our inner being. This Is a miracle.

C.S. Lewis talks about christians being a new species. We are outwardly the same as every other person, but there is something fundamentally different. We know that changes in a molecule called DNA can change an organism, including humans. Inserting a fragment of DNA can bring big changes. In the same way, God insert His Spirit into our spirit being.

all of the signs of God's power flow from the Holy Spirit through us to the world. In the past, God's Spirit might have been ”with” a person, but now He is “in” a person.

we no longer should think of God as somewhere else, because he is in us wherever we go. We have no need of temples or special places to meet with God. We are the temple.

the Holy Spirit is alive in each of us. Therefore He can strengthen us with His power that is already in us.

we are often held back by the lies we believe. We might feel that we are not good enough, or holy enough, to be used by God. We might think that we could never be as Godly as that other person.

the truth is that we all have access to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

key points in this verse:

• God has unlimited glorious riches that are physical and spiritual

• God shares his riches with us because he loves us

• the power of the Holy Spirit is in us and can strengthen us.

• God is not limited by our weakness