love

Measuring God’s Love

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

How can we measure the limitless love of God? Paul gives us some dimensions for us to consider and that got me to thinking.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 ESV

So just how wide is the breadth of God’s love? John tells us it stretches to the widest horizon: For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3:16

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And how long is its farthest limit? Jeremiah raises his hand to answer:

The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Jeremiah 31:3

And how height is it’s loftiest peak? Isaiah reminds us that it is higher and holier than we can imagine and yet God welcomes us there when we seek Him. Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,  who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:“I dwell in the high and holy place,  and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

And when we ask how we can measure the depth of the heart of God almighty? Paul answers back: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

At the Altar

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But I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Revelation 2:4

As Jesus spoke to the church in Ephesus He began by listing all the great things about them. They had been faithful, worked hard, held up under persecution and had stayed away from false teachers. Sounds like the best church in town! But then Jesus brings up the burden of His heart; they have left their first love for Him.

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It might seem to us that He is being hard on them, but the Bible tells us that we are the bride of Jesus Christ. As Heaven’s bridegroom, He is waiting at the altar in heaven and His heart is a longing to be with His bride. But sometimes when He looks down the aisle He notices that something is changing. His bride’s heart who once loved spending time in His presence is now very busy. She still thinks from time to time of Him, but she is also quite involved in a lot of other things. So many things seem so important that her schedule is full with only a few moments left for Jesus.

Then He looks and sees His people not only too busy for Him, but also too busy to bother much about telling others about their need for Him. His heart is longing to see us again totally living for him. What will it take for us to go back to our first love? How will we ever return to where we once were? Jesus tells us clearly. He does not say; “Feel really bad and cry and pray.” He does not add, “Give some more money to the church.” He doesn’t even say, “Go out and start feeding folks at the soup kitchen.”  All of those things are only a pale substitute for the “First Love” that Jesus has in mind.

So if giving money, doing good works or crying at the altar doesn’t bring back our first love, what will? Jesus says; do what we did at the beginning. Did we used to ask forgiveness of people we had hurt? Let’s do that again. Did we once call friends and family to tell them how Jesus changed our lives? Let’s not give up. Have we taken risks to get out and talk to others we came across in our daily lives about their need for him? Let’s get back to work!

Jesus didn’t say to wait for an impulse, a tear or a leading; nor do I need to do what you once did. I only need to remember what I once did, and then do it again! Jesus has given each of us a candle and it shines so we can see the truth about ourselves and repent.

That word repentance sounds harsh, but it is our bridegroom’s heartfelt appeal for us to remember the treasure of our relationship with Him. He warns us if we won’t use the light we will lose it. But if we repent and return to our first love He promises that at the altar He will give us fruit from the tree of life! 

Honoring Mom

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“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), Ephesians 6:2 ESV

My mom was smart, beautiful and a successful novelist, but she also battled with the unseen enemy of mental illness so writing about her has not been easy. Those who have never lived with someone with their own version of reality may never understand. But God doesn’t ask us to understand, only to love and honor her with more than just flowers.

So today thanks for a mom who was also fun and adventurous. Thanks that she taught me to stand up for the weak and to not be afraid of being different. Thanks for learning that commitment means never giving up even when no one else believes in you. Thanks God for my mom who I never understood but who loved me to the end!