That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. Ephesians 3:16
A grandfather takes great delight in the accomplishments of his grandchildren, I can assure you from personal experience. For example, I rejoice at the medals that our oldest grandson receives in swimming meets and biathlon competitions. And I marvel at his magnificent stride as he runs like a deer from his house to ours. But there is a solemn reminder as I watch him run that I was once a good runner like him, although certainly not as fast. And as my granddaughter nimbly jumps through a broom handle held in her hands, I recall a time when I could do the same. Not any more! I can still run, for brief stretches (very brief). The old legs and lungs won’t do what they once did. The years have done their damage to my aging body, just as they are doing to yours. Deeply thankful for the health that I have, I regret the departure of abilities that I once enjoyed. And yet, as the advancing years produce deterioration in the capabilities of our bodies, they need not cause a similar deterioration of our ‘inner man’. Our text tells us that that part of our being can actually keep growing stronger.
Our text is part of Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Ephesus. He reminds them of the source of their spiritual strength: the Holy Spirit. And this spiritual strength is not something that we develop on our own. Paul’s prayer is that God would grant the Christians this strength. Their responsibility is to allow Him to do that. As we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives, our spiritual strength increases, regardless of what happens to our bodies. Paul also notes that this gift from God is according to the riches of His glory. Those riches are infinite. So there is no limit to what spiritual strength we can enjoy, unlike the limitations on physical abilities. A runner, for example, can run only so fast regardless of his condition, unlike a Christian whose passion for the salvation for lost souls can grow indefinitely. Every weightlifter will come to a point where one more kilogram is too much, but a Christian will never reach a point where the transformation into the image of Christ must come to a halt. Our knowledge of the Scriptures, and our appreciation of them, will never find a limit. Nor will the wisdom that we can obtain from those Scriptures and from allowing the Holy Spirit to have His rightful reign in our hearts.
How strong are you in your inner man? Someone told me one day that the biggest room that I have is the one for improvement. It’s good to know that when it comes to spiritual things, improvement is always possible. -Jim MacIntosh