Expansive Breaking Free from Religious constraints A study of Ephesians 3:14 21 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr. Brad Miller hello good people.

Dr. Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh your daily walk through the New Testament of the Bible from a progressive perspective.

We read to you every day from the Revised Common Lectionary, the selective verse of Scripture for this very day.

We do in such a way that is understandable.

So we draw from the message version of the Bible relatable.

We give you some points to ponder applicable give you an action step to take.

We do all of this from our website, voiceofgodddaily.com that's the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method.

We hope that you joined us in our efforts in our goal to get the audible word of God into two million ears, a million people, by the end of 2028.

Here's our reading for the day.

Ephesians 3:14 21 Reading from the Message My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.

I ask him to strengthen you by his spirit.

Not a brute strength, but a glorious inner strength that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.

And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly in love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love.

Reach out and experience the breadth, test its length, plumb the depths, rise to the heights.

Live full lives full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know, far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams.

He does it not by pushing us around, but by working with us and within us.

His Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church.

Glory to God in the Messiah in Jesus.

Glory down to all generations.

Glory through all millennia.

Oh yes.

Well, my friends, today we're exploring a text that invites us into an expansive literature liberating understanding of God's divine love that breaks free from traditional religious boundaries.

Paul's prayer here envisions a love so vast that it requires our whole being to begin to comprehend it.

This isn't about doctrinal correctness, but about experiencing the revolutionary power of boundless love.

So let's get into some points to ponder.

The first one has to be about going beyond hierarchical power.

Notice that divine strength isn't about brute strength, but glorious inner strength.

This challenges traditional images of God as some sort of a controlling patriarch.

Instead, we see divine power working collaboratively with human agency, quote not by pushing us around, but by working within us.

So how might this understanding reshape our understanding of both divine and and human power?

A second point to ponder is about embodied spirituality.

This text uses physical language.

Quote both feet planted, breadth, length, depths, heights.

All those imagery challenge some sort of a dualistic spirituality that separates body from soul.

How might we recover our more holistic spirituality that honors our bodies, emotions and our physical experience as sites of our divine encounter?

A third point is about collective liberation.

Paul emphasizes taking in love's dimensions quote with all followers of Jesus.

So this isn't about individual spiritual achievement, but it's about collective liberation.

So the question is, how do we build communities that support each other in expanding our capacity for love and justice?

Here's your action step for the day.

Practice what we might call expansive love mapping.

And as each day focus on one dimension that's been mentioned here in the Scripture.

Breadth, length, depth, height.

And think about that.

Maybe even journal about how love is is understood in those means and how love feels somehow constrained in that dimension.

And identify a boundary of love you want to push beyond.

So take some concrete action to expand your love in that direction and maybe share your journey with others and maybe be an inspiration to others in the process.

We'll come back in just a minute with a prayer, but I did want you to know that we have a great resource for you.

It is called the ABC123 Bible Study Method.

You simply go to our website voiceofgoddaily.com you'll find several places there to link in.

To find our free resource the the ABC1, 23 Bible study method for your daily at home Bible study.

Pick it up there at our website voiceofgoddaily.com here's our prayer.

Oh God, you are the source of boundless love.

When our hearts feel small, expand them beyond comfortable borders.

When fear makes us rigid, help us bend toward justice.

Break open our limited understanding until love flows freely through us.

Plant our feet firmly in your love so we can dare to reach further, dive deeper and rise higher than we might have imagined possible.

Make us brave enough to love expansively even when it cost us everything.

Amen.

It's always great to be with you here on the Daily Bible Refresh.

As part of the joy of my everyday life, I did want you to know that the Daily Bible Refresh is completely listener supported.

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Just go to voiceofgodddaily.com, scroll to the bottom of the page.

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We'll see you again tomorrow here.

My name is Dr. Brad Miller, and remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.