1. Growing In Prayer – It Is A New Year 2019

¹⁴ For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ], ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name [God—the first and ultimate Father]. ¹⁶ May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, ¹⁸ be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; ¹⁹ and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].   Ephesians 3:14-19

We begin our New Year with Paul’s prayer in Ephesians for in our hearts this prayer is the meaning of Christianity.  We believe in the infallible Word of God and its guiding message to us all.  To our understanding hearts the love of God surmounts anything, we mean ANYTHING, we can experience in this earthly existence today.

The Word tells us in I John 4:8, if you do not love, you do not know God, for God is love.  We live in a world where “hate” is   prevalent.  How sad!!!!  Billy Graham has said:  “As we see a war-torn world–a world that is sick, pained, confused and bewildered–we believe that this is the hour for the church to speak out. This is the hour for the church to show forth the love and grace of God! This is the hour for the world to hear Christ saying through the church, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).”

The faithful Christian who believes Romans 10:9-10 must stand in defense of our beliefs and put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) to counteract the shamefulness of hate.  When Christ dwells in our hearts that is when He settles down and is at home in our hearts, we are rooted and grounded in love.

We take the knowledge of His word and it becomes piercingly truth in our hearts.  As Christ fills our hearts love rules.  Love is the foundation.  Love is that which everything else is built upon.

Rather than use words degrading to ourselves and to others, for a lack of vocabulary, let us pray the words of Paul’s great prayer for all mankind.

We wish one and all a Happy New Year and by the fullness of God let us be strong in our Christian faith.  When Christ dwells in our hearts love rules.