There's a chorus I used to sing as a child that went something like this: "Wide, wide, as the ocean, high as the heavens above, deep, deep as the deepest sea is my Savior's love. Oh, though so unworthy, still I'm a child of His care; for His Word teaches me that His love reaches me anywhere."
Amazing theology and encouragement in some of those simple choruses we used to sing as children.
Paul prayed this beautiful prayer for the Ephesians--and thus, for you and me today: "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that, you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." I pray this prayer often for my children and granddaughters and for all my adopted children who wander into my classroom every year. Such infinite, inescapable love is at work in the world today--a work that God is doing day by day. I pray that those I know and love will know the truth and power of such love.
But how you ask is such love evident in our world--where should it be seen working? Paul told the Colossian Christians, "And beyond all these things put on love which is the unifying bond of perfectness"--of the mature Christian's daily walk. Love is the fruit of the Spirit. Every believer should wear the robe of love all day long. What does it look like--what are the "all these things" that are the pattern of love's robe? Putting aside anger, using words that build up not abuse, truth-telling, integrity, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, ready forgiveness--a forgiveness as broad, far-reaching, high, and deep as His full love for me. Such is the robe of love He asks me to "put on."
Why is such a love so important? Why is such a love--"the unifying bond of perfectness"--so vital? Jesus prayed, hours before the cross, that the disciples would demonstrate such love for one another so "that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. . .that they (His disciples--you and me) may be perfected in unity, that the world may continually know that Thou didst send Me, and did love them, even as Thou didst love Me." Do you understand that the most dynamic, effective witness to the world that Jesus--our loving Savior--is exactly who He claims to be is how high and long and deep and wide is our love as Christians for one another? The evidence of the breadth and length and height and depth of God's love--the undeniable proof of His claim to be man's loving Redeemer--is the breadth and length and height and depth of love demonstrated by His disciples, His children, to His other children. Are you and I wearing the robe of love in our interactions with each other? Do we love one another continually as fully as He loved--and loves--us? Only then will a lost world believe that His love is genuine and true. The Spirit lives within us to make it so--to so adorn our lives with the robe of God's love. The lost in our lives need to so undeniably see such love continually evident between God's children. Desperately.
"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father . . . that you, being rooted and grounded in love . . . may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Amazing theology and encouragement in some of those simple choruses we used to sing as children.
Paul prayed this beautiful prayer for the Ephesians--and thus, for you and me today: "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that, you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." I pray this prayer often for my children and granddaughters and for all my adopted children who wander into my classroom every year. Such infinite, inescapable love is at work in the world today--a work that God is doing day by day. I pray that those I know and love will know the truth and power of such love.
But how you ask is such love evident in our world--where should it be seen working? Paul told the Colossian Christians, "And beyond all these things put on love which is the unifying bond of perfectness"--of the mature Christian's daily walk. Love is the fruit of the Spirit. Every believer should wear the robe of love all day long. What does it look like--what are the "all these things" that are the pattern of love's robe? Putting aside anger, using words that build up not abuse, truth-telling, integrity, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, ready forgiveness--a forgiveness as broad, far-reaching, high, and deep as His full love for me. Such is the robe of love He asks me to "put on."
Why is such a love so important? Why is such a love--"the unifying bond of perfectness"--so vital? Jesus prayed, hours before the cross, that the disciples would demonstrate such love for one another so "that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. . .that they (His disciples--you and me) may be perfected in unity, that the world may continually know that Thou didst send Me, and did love them, even as Thou didst love Me." Do you understand that the most dynamic, effective witness to the world that Jesus--our loving Savior--is exactly who He claims to be is how high and long and deep and wide is our love as Christians for one another? The evidence of the breadth and length and height and depth of God's love--the undeniable proof of His claim to be man's loving Redeemer--is the breadth and length and height and depth of love demonstrated by His disciples, His children, to His other children. Are you and I wearing the robe of love in our interactions with each other? Do we love one another continually as fully as He loved--and loves--us? Only then will a lost world believe that His love is genuine and true. The Spirit lives within us to make it so--to so adorn our lives with the robe of God's love. The lost in our lives need to so undeniably see such love continually evident between God's children. Desperately.
"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father . . . that you, being rooted and grounded in love . . . may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
"Little children, let us love one another for love is of God"
No comments:
Post a Comment