Paul’s prison epistles are profound expressions of truth, compassion and challenge. They are like beautiful flowers growing and blooming in a dismal garbage dump, dug up, potted and sent to brighten the lives of those needing encouragement and hope. They were written by Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. 

 

In Ephesians Paul describes all that is ours in Christ. He prays that believers would comprehend the riches provided us in Christ Jesus and the power for us to experience those riches. He also prays that Christ would be completely at home in our hearts and that we would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that (we) may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” 

 

He made it clear that this is a gift of God’s grace, not something we would receive by works, but rather by faith. Once we take this step of faith God takes us into His workshop. As Christians “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

 

By the work of God’s Spirit we have a joyful song to sing and a fruitful life to live. Though we live in a hostile environment with significant forces of evil opposing us, if we arm ourselves with the armor of God we can stand victorious against the wiles of the evil one and his cohorts. With that confidence we can bloom wherever God plants us, and the beauty of Christ and the fragrance of His presence will draw unbelievers to Him.

 

Are you blooming and spreading Christ’s fragrance where God has planted you?