Dynamite

Would you rather listen than read? Listen here.

Spring Break

Let’s go back a few years to when I had a frizzy perm and braces. My parents planned a trip for my mom’s birthday, which coincided with spring break. While they traveled to sun and beaches, my sister and I were traveling to my aunt and uncle’s house in Indiana where it was still cold and dreary. I was excited to see my family I had not seen in a while, but the jealousy of my parent’s trip blurred my excitement.

What I did not know when I boarded the plane was that God would show up and teach me so much about Himself. During our week’s stay, my aunt and uncle wanted to take us to St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch. We drove in the night so we would be there in the morning for an adventurous day.

Salvation

As my uncle drove, my aunt turned around in her seat to look at my sister and me and asked if we knew what it meant to be saved. I had known of Jesus my whole life, but these words ‘saved’ and ‘salvation’ were new to me.

She continued by telling us about what it meant to accept Jesus in our hearts. To be saved, I needed to truly believe Jesus had died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and then rose from the dead three days later. My aunt told us how wonderful Jesus was and all He did for me and then asked if I wanted to accept Jesus into my life as my Savior.

In the car’s darkness, I bowed my head, and she led me in a prayer that changed my life. I came home from that trip with a new zeal for life. I wanted to tell all my friends about what I learned.

That night I accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, but it was not until I was twenty that the knowledge ignited into something new, a deeper understanding where I realized the depth of His sacrifice for me. However, my aunt praying for me that night began my seeking for more of Jesus. She planted the seed, and it germinated quickly.

Explosive Love

As the “Reflecting The Son” series, the Bible in a year, is quickly coming to a close, we are reading the words of Paul. He reminds us over and over about the sacrifice Jesus made for us. He drives home the depth of Christ’s explosive love for us and I repeatedly thank God that I get to know Him as my Savior.

Paul writes a prayer for the people of Ephesus in Ephesians 3:14-21.

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources, he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT

Dynamite

Paul prays they would not only know who Jesus is but also know and experience the magnitude of his great love for them. I want you to look at the scripture and the two words in bold: ‘empower’ and ‘power.’ Both in Greek are the word δύναμις dynamis. This is where we get the word dynamite.

When I think of dynamite, I first think of the roadrunner and the coyote. Then I think of J. J. from Good Times saying, “Dy-No-Mite.” Then, in all seriousness, I think of this immense explosive power. I am blown away (no pun intended) by the thought of this kind of power immersed within each of us. See the bottom for further meaning.

Let’s look at these two specific verses for a minute. Verse sixteen says, “He will empower (dynamis) you with inner strength through his Spirit.” And verse twenty says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power (dynamis) at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Let this sink in for a moment.

Dynamic Power

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He doesn’t come just to take up residence and bring us comfort, but He comes to give us this dynamic power to accomplish great things for the kingdom. The thought of this should get us motivated and ready to act on Jesus’ behalf.

Diving deeper into the scriptures and finding hidden gems like this ignites something within me. I can’t just sit still. I need to share this with you and others. It makes me want to step out in faith like my aunt did and share what Jesus has done for me with others. You never know how the seed you plant in someone may turn out.

There is something powerful about writing the Word. Check out these journals for writing the Gospels.