For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 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...
All you need is love. The trusty NRSV makes the connection between verse 17a and 17b clearer by getting rid of the full stop. The way that Christ comes to dwell in us is through a revelation of love: it is as we are rooted and established in love that Christ tabernacles in us. How at home he is depends on how much we get that he loves us. And so how do we get it? Oh how I want to know know know that he loves me. To have roots that go so deep that the starting point of everything is Because he loves. 1 John 4.19. We need power. We need God's help to know God's love. In accordance with his abundance so god gives. And so, ask. Ask on your knees not just for others but for yourself. Ask that the spirit will so move, so speak, to the most intimate, bruised, vulnerable parts of your being that faith will arise. You will trust that whispering I love you instead of dismissing it. This afternoon I ended up in a muddle of facebook gossip that has caused offence and hurt. But gossip's root is insecurity. The nagging feeling of being missed out, let down, talked about. What is the remedy? Love. The unshakable foundation of Christ and the precious gift of his home made in us is our only defence against a world that would crush us with endless speculation, self analysis and comparison. Love is all we need.
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