This week we proceed to Ephesians 3:14-16:

It is interesting that Paul would bring up how every family in heaven and earth derives its name from God the Father. This indicates that there are families in heaven just as there are on earth. We also know from Genesis how the Lord ordained families, and that families became nations. He gave His promises to families, not just individuals. A great deal of emphasis is given to the genealogies in Scripture, indicating the emphasis that the Lord gives to our family lineage.

Family relationships are obviously very important to the Lord. This is why it is also one of the devil’s top priorities to assault families, and if possible, even tear down the very family structure. We have covered this in some depth before, but something we must always keep in mind. Our families must be given the priority that God gives to them. If we fail with our family, we have truly failed in a significant way in this life.

This is not to say if we have failed in family relationships in the past, we cannot be restored and succeed in the future. Even God is divorced. As we read in Jeremiah 3, He gave Israel a certificate of divorce. Even so, there are few things we can do that will be more pleasing to the Lord, and do more to resist the devil, than to strengthen our families.

In the next verse quoted above, we see that the Lord wants to strengthen us with His power through His Spirit in the inner man, and He does this according to His riches in glory. This indicates the value that the Lord puts on the strengthening of our inner man. What would happen if we started doing the same? How different would most of us be if we spent as much time cleaning up, beautifying, and feeding our heart as we did our inner man? If the Lord is willing to invest "the riches of His glory" in this, should this not be our priority as well?