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THE LION'S ROAR
FEBRUARY 2022
Paul prayed for us that we would be “filled with all the fullness of God” (ESV, Ephesians 3:19). He knew he had been called to be a minister of God’s grace to the Gentiles (those who were not born of Hebrew descent). In order that we would be filled with all the fullness of God, he prayed that we would be strengthened to the core of our beings by the power of the Holy Spirit. He prayed that our hearts would be so full of Christ that our faith would wildly expand. He asked the Father to make us like large, sturdy trees whose roots would grow deeply and expansively into the fertile soil of His unfailing love, and that we would come to realize how unimaginably deep, wide, long, and high God’s love is…that nothing at all is ever outside of His abundantly loving reach. Paul believed that if we could know, know, know this profound truth about God—that Jesus is the supreme expression of extravagant love—then we would be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:7-19)
February is so often associated with red and pink lacey hearts and themes of love, but I wonder how often we take the time to truly ponder what it means to be rooted in love as Paul prayed we would be...and what it looks like when his prayer is being fulfilled in our lives.
It strikes me that, within this particular passage, nearly all the action verbs are performed by God. He is the One who grants us to be strengthened with power through His Spirit (v. 16). He is the One who dwells in our hearts as the Christ (v. 17). He is the soil that nourishes our roots and provides stability for what stands above the ground (v. 17). God is the One who strengthens us to comprehend alongside other believers how incredibly surpassing His love is (v. 18). He is the One who fills us with His very own fullness (v. 19)!
Because of God's amazing love for us, we can do more than just know about Christ's love for us (knowledge), but we can intimately KNOW the love of Christ. What an amazing message of love we have to share with those around us--even beyond February!
Tonya Snyder Head of School
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FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD
from the Desk of the Head of School
RightNow Media
Treating someone with love regardless of how you feel about them is a great principle for families and friends, and it works equally well in the business environment. In this 11-part series, Joel Manby, former president and CEO of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, recounts his own triumphs and failures and shares the lessons that have taught him to lead with love. Joel uses 1 Corinthians 13 to develop seven timeless principles for effective leaders.
This video series has a companion Training Course with discussion questions that can be found HERE!