Appropriation

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.” Hebrews 11:11 

The faith of Sara was firmly founded upon the faithful God. Otherwise it could not be so, it could not have been . Think about these verses:

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”1Thessalonians 5:24 
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2Thessalonians 3:3 

I took my eyes off of my own lack and put them on Him who has no lack, and a victorious turning point came in my life several years ago. Out of desparation came to me a kind of faithfulness — to His faithfulness.

“Two realities of seeing and needing bring us from childish meandering into a responsible specific walk of faith.” “They take us from — begging to appropriation. Stanford

“Appropriation does not necessarily mean to gain something new, but to set aside for our practical possession something that already belongs to us.” We must, “see what is already ours in Christ and to be aware of our need for it.”” He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

“It is appropriation that tests us.” C.A. Coates

T. Austin-Sparks reminds us, “every bit of truth we receive, if we receive it livingly, will take us into conflict and will be established through conflict. It will be worthless until there has been a battle over it.”

” …the believer has to come by faith to prove it, to live by it, to learn it’s laws, to be conformed to it.” Stanford

In Ephesians 3, Paul prays the profound prayer, “That God would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;   And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. “

Note that Paul sites above “the riches of His glory,” as the source. (the deposit in us of all Spiritual blessings), Then comes the empowering with dynamite strength by the Spirit. It happens in the “inner” man and result is “Christ to make his permanent home in our hearts.” Christ of course, is permanently in us, but this speaks of something more, a consistent experience. An aorist tense, “once and for all.” Our faith in His faithfulness sustains it. That we may or may not have strength to, at a point in time, comprehend, (appropriate), grasp with the mind.” what?

• The “breadth” implies the whole of the vast mystery of free salvation in Christ for all, Gentile and Jew alike,
• the “length,” its being extended through all ages (Eph_3:21);
• the “depth,” its profound wisdom which no creature can fathom (Rom_11:33);
• the “height,” its being beyond the reach of any foe to deprive us of (Eph_4:8) [Bengel].

And, “to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. ” Ephesians 3:19

“he does not mean that we can adequately know; all we know is, that His love exceeds far our knowledge of it, and with even our fresh accessions of knowledge hereafter, will still exceed them. Even as God’s power exceeds our thoughts (Eph_3:20).” JFB

In closing, “In the matter of Christian development, there is no shortcut, no quick and easy way.”

” Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake,

that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.2Corinthians 4:10-11 

Precious fellows, life and life abundantly finalizes our quest for knowledge. Trials and needs only create the framework for the manifestation to come — His life in ours , manifest! Love ya