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Now That's A Knife!


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 saints, 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 3:16-21)
            I seem to be stuck on movie references. What comes to mind today is a scene from Crocodile Dundee. As I recall it, a young thug pulls a switchblade on the hero. Dundee looks at it and says, “You call that a knife? That’s not a knife.” He draws his own and says,


            It seems to me that my prayers are the sort that might lead someone to say, “You call that a prayer? That’s not a prayer.” Now, today’s passage is a prayer. I know that there are situations and circumstances in life. There are trials and tribulations. But what would happen if we grasped how wide, long, high and deep God’s love for us is. What if we had an eternal perspective. Would we continue to play with switchblade prayers if we saw answers to this prayer?
            What would happen if we stopped measuring God’s love or our faith by the effectiveness of the switchblade prayers, and started looking for answers to prayers asking God to be something more, and do something more than a convenient toy?  What would our lives look like if we prayed this prayer and meant it? Shall we find out?
          Lord God, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me, and these friends of mine, with power through Your Spirit in our inner beings, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to You who are able

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