A Teens Bible

Ephesians 3:16-18

NIV: 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 Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ

After seeing the length of today's verse, you might have just skimmed over it. I encourage you to go back and read it again, out loud.

When I heard this verse, there are 2 things that stuck out to me: from this short passage we see so so much about God's character and who he is. The other things is Paul's prayer for us: be rooted in love. Today I'd like to focus on the 2nd one.

Roots are vital to a plants survival. They are what anchors the plant, what gives it support. The roots provides them with the nutrients the plant needs and without them, the plant would die. With nothing to hold it down and it lacking it's supply of water, there's no way that apart from the root, the plant could survive.
The same is for us and love. Without love, without having that as the basis and the root for how we act what we do, say, think, how would we be able to spread God's love? After all as Christians that is our purpose!! I like how this version uses the word established- meaning it's origin in a way, what it was built on. And like it says in this verse, with the love of God in our hearts, we can gain a better understanding of his love for us, if that makes sense! So as you continue throughout your week, I challenge you to take Paul's prayer and make it your own. Ask God to show you where you roots lie, what you are made of & that the love that God has for you can become something real to you. Can people tell by the way you talk or act that you are rooted in love? I encourage you to ponder that thought as you continue throughout your week!

-Katie