"For this reason..."

Reading Ephesians 3:14-21

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray..."

The paragraph begins with what linguists refer to as a "boundary feature." This is a phrase that is repeated and that marks off important sections of the argument or that advances the argument in some way. The phrase "for this reason" first occurs in 1:15 immediately after the prologue and is repeated at 3:1 and again here. It is very easy to forget the reason why we do what we do - even the very important things that we do for God and others. Inevitably everything degenerates to being about me. Paul is a good example of someone who always keeps his best reasons before him. What is Paul's reason for kneeling before God and praying for the believers in Ephesus and all the churches he is responsible for? Following the chain of "for this reason" statements backwards we come to the prologue of the letter where Paul lays out the fundamental concepts behind all that he does in ministry.

The reason lies in Paul's understanding that before God ever created the world and the universe he envisioned a special people who would be the object of his love and who would be devoted to him. This people would become a historical reality in Jesus ("in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" 1:7) and through him we would be loved, blessed, chosen, adopted, and forgiven.

This is the motivator, this is the reason, that Paul expends himself on this special people. His prayers, his witness, and his labor are a response to his understanding that the whole heart of God is invested in this family and its fortunes.

What motivates you?