Full

The French have an expression: "Vivez le vie pleinement!", which basically means, "Live life to the fullest!"

I think it would be an interesting thing to do one of those "man on the street" polls and ask people this question: "What does it mean to live life to the fullest?"  Here are a few of the answers I think you'd hear:

• Be goal-driven.  Only you are responsible for your own success.
• "I did it my way!"
• Embrace failure, so you can learn from it.
• Conquer your fears.
• Live to please yourself.
• Live to please others.
• Have a positive attitude.
• Make a bucket list and check it off.

You get the idea.  Some would say that Mark Zuckerman lives life to the fullest.  He developed a product where there was a need, and that product has become wildly successful.  Some would say that Prince lived life to the fullest, but he died relatively young under less-than-ideal circumstances (jury is still out on that one...).  Some would say that Mother Theresa lived life to the fullest.

I guess it all depends on your point of view.

What does the apostle Paul say about a life lived to the fullest?  The Bible's answer is totally opposite to the world's prescription for fullness of life.
Today's text is Ephesians 3:14-19.

14-19 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 on 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.

20-21 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 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 all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

1.  Paul emphasizes that, in order to live life to the fullest, we must first reach out and experience the love of Jesus Christ.  This begins by opening the door to Him and inviting Him in, to possess you, and to mark you as His by giving you His Holy Spirit.

Many people do not want to surrender themselves in this way.  In fact, they go out of their way to avoid what they view as a capitulation.  The rocker, Jimi Hendrix, typified this view when he famously said, "I'm the one who's got to die, when it's time for me to die; so, let me live my life the way I want to."

I maintain that one reason for their resistance is that they have never comprehended the love of Jesus Christ, which is why Paul emphasizes that our feet must be firmly planted ("established") in this great truth.  To be able to see oneself honestly, from hopelessly sin-plagued sinner to reborn, redeemed saint, and all this due to the magnificent love of Christ, is treasure indeed.  Fullness of life begins here.*

2.   Then, Paul goes on to talk about inner strength, something we all need to weather the ups and downs of this life.  The "downs" can steal away that joy, that fullness, if we aren't watchful.  As we open ourselves more and more to Jesus Christ, He works in us fullness, abundance by giving us His glorious, inner strength.  His Spirit works deeply and gently within us.

Although it is the world's way, our glory-grabbing never leads to fullness of life.  Christians, those who truly know Jesus Christ, recognize that all of our dreams are from Him and all our "accomplishments" are through Him.  And, for this reason Paul extols at the end of this chapter, ascribing all the glory - - -all of it - - - to God.

3.   The capstone of fullness of life is praising and worshipping our incredible God for the things HE has done.  Here is where I tend to fall down and lose some of my joy.  I forget to praise Him and thank Him when my tank is running low.  Satan sneaks in with discouragement and despondency. The only way to fend that off is to re-frame, re-focus on God's truths and then to praise Him for His magnificent work.  Look at Paul here - - - he got down on his knees and not only petitioned God for the Ephesian church, he glorified, praised and thanked God in prayer!  What a wonderful example He provides us in the apostle Paul!

Father, thank you that You made for all those who seek and choose You the path to abundant life. To paraphrase Psalm 16:11 - - - I praise You that You made known to me the path of life.  I'm so grateful that in Your presence there is fullness of joy and that at Your right hand are eternal pleasures! In Jesus' name, amen. 

Sources:

Here are some great, classic books on the love of God.  If you have trouble with this first step, I recommend you check out one of these:

1.  God's Love, by R.C. Sproul  http://www.amazon.com/dp/143470422X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687442&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0849910811&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ARTXHKD5NTAJ44GD3HG

2.  The Love of God, by John MacArthur  http://www.amazon.com/Love-God-John-MacArthur/dp/0849910811

3.  God Loves Broken People, by Sheila Walsh  http://www.christianbook.com/god-loves-broken-people/sheila-walsh/9781400202454/pd/202454?dv=c&en=google&event=SHOP&kw=christian-living-0-20%7C202454&p=1179710&gclid=Cj0KEQjw3-W5BRCymr_7r7SFt8cBEiQAsLtM8lJ259j7cdPlOZtFmavtBhAgEMuUiTfQcJv428Wp5WQaAnuu8P8HAQ

The Default Setting and the New iOS

I had no idea that Romans 5 was such a wonderful chapter!  Really.  It tells God's Story from beginning to end, in one chapter.  So, today we are going to finish it up, by focusing on the last two
"-ion" words:  sanctification and glorification.

Sanctification
When I was in college I got to sing my first classic choral masterwork, a mass.  Not having been raised Catholic, I had no idea what a mass was, other than I knew it was the Catholic church service. A choral mass is a large work, comprised of 5 major sections:  Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus, Agnus Dei.  Latin is a dead language, they say.  But, it lives on in the masterworks of Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, Mozart and others.  And, in those masterworks, Latin is gorgeous.  It "sings"!  A little early for puns, you say?  I agree.... moving on!
So, you may have noticed that one of the sections of the mass is called "sanctus", a word that basically means "holy".  It is the same root that gives us the English word, "sanctification" - - being set apart to become more like Jesus, more "holy".
Here's how God designed it: we can't "holify" ourselves by our own good works.  After becoming Christ's, however, His Holy Spirit within us sanctifies us, through supernatural power.   Sounds wonderful, right?  Look at verses 3-4 (NET).

3Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

When we identify with, align our hearts with Jesus Christ, sufferings, trials, tribulations inevitably result.  This is because we have then put ourselves in opposition with the majority of people in this world, standing against their philosophies, practices and beliefs.  Satan immediately puts us on his radar.  (As long as we were not Christ's, we were no threat to him, you see.)  Even if we do not fully realize it, when we become a Christian by experiencing that forever-change-of-heart, we become utterly powerful to tear down the strongholds Satan has erected in this world.  This conquering power is from Christ Himself, through His Holy Spirit (Philippians 4:13).
If we "sink deep" into Jesus, drawing on the supernatural power He gives us, He transforms us from being righteous in Him to being a warrior for Him.  That is what it means when Paul says that our problems produce endurance, character and hope.
Now what about that last bit: hope?
Remember: hope as defined in the Bible has a different connotation from our customary use of the word in modern English.  The Greek word "elpis" (ἐλπίς) means "an expectation of what is certain."
Mothers will understand this.  We call a pregnant woman an "expectant mother".  She is "expecting". Now, without getting overly graphic, let's just say that what is inside her is going to come out, one way or the other.  Right?  There's no "Perhaps the baby will come out".  It's coming.  No doubt.

Think about a successful job, perhaps the first one you got as a young person.  You were probably scared to death at first.  But, each success on the job gave you more confidence, didn't it?  The harder you worked, the better you got.  Well, it is sort of like that with sanctification.  When you yield to the Spirit, He produces spiritual "fruit" (successes) in your own spirit.  This is what Paul means by "character".  And, the more He is allowed (through your surrender) to sanctify you, the more confident of "who you are, in Christ".  This state of ever-becoming more like Jesus is what Paul calls "reigning in life" (vs. 17), resplendent daughters and sons!  Hallelujah!
When you experience justification, the last "-ion" word we talked about yesterday, you KNOW that you have been changed forever.  You KNOW that your eventual destination is Heaven.  But, through sanctification, you become even more confident and excited about "that blessed hope", the certainty of Heaven.  It's like a runner running a race: you see the finish line in the distance.  The closer it gets, the clearer you can see it and the more excited you are to reach it!

Glorification
Sanctification and glorification cannot be separated.  They go together, inseparably.  Romans 8:30 tells us that if you belong to Christ (justification), you will not be sinless; rather, you will be becoming more and more like Christ in some way.  You will not be a "fruitless fig tree" (Luke 6:30). It is impossible.  Oh, you may go through "phases" where you are temporarily walking in disobedience; but, you will be miserable the whole time, deep down in your soul.  Sanctification is the "default setting" for each believer.
This is the beginning of glorification!  One flows into the other.  The final transition is made when physical death comes to the believer, the Christ-follower.  But, there is no fear in death for the believer!  Our Savior has conquered it for us.  Physical death is merely stepping from sanctification into full-on glorification, the "new operating system"!  When we were dead (spiritually) in our sins, death reigned in us.  When we were made alive (spiritually) in Christ Jesus, grace reigned and will reign in us forever.

so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:21

Eternal life - - ultimate glorification.  Psalm 16:1l sums up the marriage of justification-sanctification-glorification beautifully.  In closing, think about that as you ponder this verse:

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

NASB

Father, eternity is now.  We need to grasp that truth and apply it to our lives.  Physical death is merely a mile marker on the road to glory.  And, every step we take brings us closer to you! We are so very, very cherished and loved.  Do your supernatural conversion in each of us.  Thank you, Lord! In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://biblehub.com/greek/1680.htm