Unlimited
What would you do with unlimited resources?
Would you buy a yacht, plane, or skyscraper? Help eliminate world hunger? Travel the world? Fund cancer research? Ensure that every orphan has a safe place to live? Would you mostly think about yourself, or would think about others?
It’s hard to imagine having no limits. We’re in constant need of food, water, air, and sleep. But unlimited is who God is.
Writing to the first-century church in Ephesus, the apostle Paul said this:
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.”
Ephesians 3:16 NLT
Will you pause for a moment and consider what it means to truly be unlimited? To have every resource imaginable at your fingertips? To never need food. To never get tired. To never get distracted. To never have a single need.
Nothing is too hard for God, and He wants to empower His people.
If you keep reading through the end of the chapter, Paul wants the Ephesians to be empowered with God’s Spirit—by means of His unlimited resources—so that their roots will grow deep, His Spirit will keep them strong, and they’ll be able to experience the depth and fullness of God’s love.
It’s an ongoing mystery why He chooses to use His imperfect people to accomplish His purposes. But that’s exactly what He wants and that’s exactly what He’ll do.
So, when you feel tired or overwhelmed, discouraged, or completely shattered, remember: God’s resources are unlimited. The possibilities are endless. And He specializes in making all things new.
The Lamb of God
Have you ever waited a really long time for something important? Maybe you spent weeks waiting to see an old friend, for news about a medical diagnosis, or for someone to respond to a message you sent them.
In the first century, the people of God had waited hundreds and hundreds of years for the coming of a Savior. John the Baptist was sent to be the forerunner of that coming Savior. God planned for John to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival, and call them back to repentance.
John waited his whole life for Jesus. He spent his days in eager anticipation of the coming of a Savior who would save his people. And on that day when Jesus did arrive, John the Baptist cried out in excitement.
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In the old covenant, lambs were sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the people. Their sacrifices were a temporary means to restore a person's relationship with God.
But Jesus' coming heralds a new covenant between God and ...