more than

It's always so interesting to see the subtleties & differences each individual translator or paraphraser uses at their disposal.

And yet, the astounding truth of this simple verse comes tumbling through in Paul's letter to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus.

Btw, Paul wrote this letter while in prison.



Ephesian 3:20

By His mighty power at work within us,
(God) is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. (NLT, 1st ed.)



Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] (Amplified)


Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us... (CSB)


Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us (CEB)


Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine (CJB)


I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen. (CEV)


With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. (ERV)


Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (ESV)


Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (GW)


With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. (ICB)


Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (KJV)


Now to him who by his power within us is able to do far more than we ever dare to ask or imagine—to him be glory in the Church through Jesus Christ for ever and ever, amen! (J B Phillips)


Now to the one who is able to do beyond all measure more than all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us, (LEB)


Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. (TLB)


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! (The Message)


Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (NIV)


Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. (TPT)


Now to the God who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in us, (The Voice)


God can do much more than we ask him to do, or we even think of. He does it by his power which is working in us. (WE)


And to him that is mighty to do all things more plenteously than we ask or understand, by the virtue that worketh in us [after the virtue that worketh in us], (WYC)

big statement

Brace yourself - big statement from Paul in his letter to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus.

Ephesians 2

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

He wanted to

Ephesians 1

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms 

because we are united with Christ. 

4 Even before he made the world, 

God loved us 

and chose us in Christ 

to be holy 

and without fault in his eyes. 

5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family 

by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. 

This is what he wanted to do, 

and it gave him great pleasure. 

keep on

Galatians 6

1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, & you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

7 Don’t be misled—remember that you can't ignore God & get away with it. You will always reap what you sow. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay & death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.9 So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged & give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

fruit

If this verse is true, 

maybe we should examine ourselves 

& see how many of these fruits are displayed in our lives, 

as an indicator of how much control the Holy Spirit has over our lives...



When the Holy Spirit controls our lives,

He will produce this kind of fruit in us:

love,

joy,

peace,

patience,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

& self-control.

Galatians 5:22 (NLT, 1st ed.)

Abba

Who needs to read this today?



Galatians 4

4 But when the right time came, 

God sent his Son, 

born of a woman, 

subject to the law. 

5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, 

so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

6 And because we are his children, 

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, 

prompting us to call out, 

“Abba, Father.” 

7 Now you are no longer a slave 

but God’s own child. 

And since you are His child, 

everything He has belongs to you.

walk by faith

Galatians 3

23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, 

we were placed under guard by the law. 

We were kept in protective custody, 

so to speak, 

until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. 

The law was our guardian until Christ came; 

it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 

25 And now that the way of faith has come, 

we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 

27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, 

like putting on new clothes. 

28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, 

slave or free, 

male and female. 

For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

29 And now that you belong to Christ, 

you are the true children of Abraham. 

You are his heirs, 

and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.