Topic: To Be a Dwelling Place for Christ – Charles Stanley Daily Devotional  4 January  2024

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To Be a Dwelling Place for Christ

If we become like Jesus and act as He would, we can transform our world.

January 4, 2024

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Ephesians 3:17

Yesterday we saw that Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have inner strength. That strength helped them endure suffering, but it also transformed them so that “Christ may dwell in [their] hearts through faith” (3:17). Notice that Paul isn’t praying for Christ to come into believers’ hearts, as He does at salvation. Instead, he prays that Christ would be at home in the core of their being.

Put another way, Paul is saying that the more the Spirit empowers people’s lives, the more they will “grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Jesus’ lordship will be established more and more in their lives. And with Christ enthroned as King in their hearts, God’s kingdom grows, too. The Lord’s loving, righteous rule can extend through their lives to their families and communities.

Our prayers for others, then, are not just for personal transformation, although that’s crucial. As we become like Jesus, we increasingly act as He would, transforming our relationships and communities. That very thing happened as the early Christians amazed their neighbors by showing love not only for their own, but for all. And that’s where Paul’s prayer goes next, which we’ll explore over the next two days.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 12-15

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