16 AND THESE ARE THEY LIKEWISE
WHICH ARE SOWN ON STONY GROUND;
WHO, WHEN THEY HAVE HEARD THE
WORD, IMMEDIATELY RECEIVE IT WITH
GLADNESS;
17 AND HAVE NO ROOT IN THEMSELVES,
AND SO ENDURE BUT FOR A TIME:
AFTERWARD, WHEN AFFLICTION OR
PERSECUTION ARISETH FOR THE
WORD'S SAKE, IMMEDIATELY THEY ARE
OFFENDED.
5 IT IS NOT CONCEITED (ARROGANT AND
INFLATED WITH PRIDE); IT IS NOT RUDE
(UNMANNERLY) AND DOES NOT ACT
UNBECOMINGLY. LOVE (GOD'S LOVE IN
US) DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS OWN
RIGHTS OR ITS OWN WAY, FOR IT IS NOT
SELFSEEKING; IT IS NOT TOUCHY OR
FRETFUL OR RESENTFUL; IT TAKES NO
ACCOUNT OF THE EVIL DONE TO IT [IT
PAYS NO ATTENTION TO A SUFFERED
WRONG].
14 FOR THIS CAUSE I BOW MY KNEES
UNTO THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS
CHRIST,
15 OF WHOM THE WHOLE FAMILY IN
HEAVEN AND EARTH IS NAMED,
16 THAT HE WOULD GRANT YOU,
ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS
GLORY, TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH
MIGHT BY HIS SPIRIT IN THE INNER MAN;
17 THAT CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR
HEARTS BY FAITH; THAT YE, BEING
ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE,
18 MAY BE ABLE TO COMPREHEND WITH
ALL SAINTS WHAT IS THE BREADTH, AND
LENGTH, AND DEPTH, AND HEIGHT;
19 AND TO KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST,
WHICH PASSETH KNOWLEDGE, THAT YE
MIGHT BE FILLED WITH ALL THE FULNESS
OF GOD.
20 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.
I'll close with this: Receiving and
believing THE LOVE will cause spiritual
growth and development of the inner
man, and fulfills Ephesians 3:14-20:
Ephesians 3:17 gives us the title of this
message, "Rooted and Grounded in
LOVE." Jesus taught in Mark 4:17 that
the first and most successful weapon
the devil uses to steal The WORD is
WEAKENING]. I NEVER FAIL [NEVER
FADE OUT OR BECOME OBSOLETE OR
COME TO AN END].
becoming offended:
Now we know what that root is: It is
being rooted and grounded in LOVE. Go
back and look at our confession from 1
Corinthians 13:4-8, especially verse 5,
in the AMPC:
In other words, love never becomes
offended. If that's not what Jesus said
in Mark 4:17, I don't know what is. Of
course it is! The root on the solid
foundation of LOVE makes Mark
4:18-19 easy to stand against the devil
and enjoy the hundredfold that Jesus
promised in verse 20. Don't you
absolutely enjoy, to the max, the
