The Bulldog and the Sprinkler
I pray that you . . . may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17, 19
Most summer mornings, a delightful drama plays out in the park behind our house. It involves a sprinkler. And a bulldog. About 6:30 or so, the sprinklers come on. Shortly thereafter, Fifi the bulldog (our family’s name for her) arrives.
Fifi’s owner lets her off her leash. The bulldog sprints with all her might to the nearest sprinkler, attacking the stream of water as it douses her face. If Fifi could eat the sprinkler, I think she would. It’s a portrait of utter exuberance, of Fifi’s seemingly infinite desire to be drenched by the liquid she can never get enough of.
There are no bulldogs in the Bible, or sprinklers. Yet, in a way, Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 reminds me of Fifi. There, Paul prays that the Ephesian believers might be filled with God’s love and “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.” He prayed that we might be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (vv. 18-19).
Still today, we’re invited to experience a God whose infinite love exceeds anything we can comprehend, that we too might be drenched, saturated, and utterly satisfied by His goodness. We’re free to plunge with abandon, relish, and delight into a relationship with the One who alone can fill our hearts and lives with love, meaning, and purpose.
By Adam Holz
REFLECT & PRAY
God, thank You for Your infinite and satisfying love. Please help us to know and experience the love You have for each one of us.
How does the experience of plunging into waves at a beach symbolize the immensity of God’s love for you? What barriers do you think potentially keep you from experiencing His love?
Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Ephesians 3:14-21 is an example of a biblical doxology. The word doxology comes from two Greek words: doxa (glory) and logia (saying). A doxology is a statement or saying that ascribes glory (importance, weight, significance) to God. Paul does that here in verse 20 where we read, “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.” Notice how the word glory is found in several other New Testament doxologies. In Romans 11:33-36, God is given glory for His wisdom and the section concludes with: “To him be the glory forever!” In 1 Timothy 1:17, God is given glory for His eternal uniqueness: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.” And in Jude 1:24-25, God’s glory is seen in His protection of His children: “To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority.” Bill Crowder
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