Ephesians 3:14-21
When I began to realize the Father’s unconditional, unmatched love for me, I found loving those around me very easy. In fact, when I comprehended His love for me, loving others became absolutely effortless. My prayer now, is that every believer will realize the Lord’s love for them. This knowledge teaches us how to love, for “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
Paul shared a similar desire for the church at Ephesus, stating, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:14). What is the cause for Paul praying for Ephesus? We find out in the verses that follow, namely that they, “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” (Ephesians 3:18, 19). Paul is praying that they comprehend just how great that the love of Christ is toward them. What a prayer!
Satan fights the believer from gaining this particular knowledge as much as anything else that he does. When Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness, He did it by every word that proceeded from the mouth of His Father, and the last words of His Father were, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Satan immediately questions whether or not Jesus is the Son of God, and he noticeably drops the word “beloved” (Matthew 4:3). He never wants you to remember how much the Father loves you, and the Father wants you to never forget it.
Christ’s love surpasses our ability to comprehend because it is higher, deeper, longer and wider than our ability to love. A revelation of His love for us expands our ability to love others, thus causing us to fulfill His command to love. The scripture further explains that when we know the love of Christ, we will “be filled with all the fullness of God” (3:19).
All that God is; His wisdom, His goodness, etc, will fill the believer that understands how loved that they are. This is why it is so beautiful that the Apostle John repeatedly refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved in the book of John. It does not mean that Jesus loved him more than anyone else, but that John recognized how loved that he was. God loves you know more or less than He loves anyone else, but you should recognize his love for you and you will walk in His benefits.
If you ask a sinner if they know that God loves them, many of them will respond, “Oh yeah, God loves everyone”. They are right, but with that limited comprehension of God’s love, they do not see how personal that His love is. God’s love must be aimed at them, or they cannot know its full benefits. It is like pointing a magnifying glass at a blade of grass. If you hold the beam of concentrated sunlight on the blade long enough, it will catch fire. The sun’s rays were shining on it before, but it was falling equally on all blades around it. Isolate the beam, burn the blade. Isolate the love of God to one sinner instead of for the whole world; you burn away the chaff of self-righteousness and doubt.
May you be able to comprehend the amount of God’s love for you today. That is my prayer for each of you as you go into this world. Accept that love and spread it to someone else.
When I began to realize the Father’s unconditional, unmatched love for me, I found loving those around me very easy. In fact, when I comprehended His love for me, loving others became absolutely effortless. My prayer now, is that every believer will realize the Lord’s love for them. This knowledge teaches us how to love, for “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
Paul shared a similar desire for the church at Ephesus, stating, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:14). What is the cause for Paul praying for Ephesus? We find out in the verses that follow, namely that they, “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” (Ephesians 3:18, 19). Paul is praying that they comprehend just how great that the love of Christ is toward them. What a prayer!
Satan fights the believer from gaining this particular knowledge as much as anything else that he does. When Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness, He did it by every word that proceeded from the mouth of His Father, and the last words of His Father were, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Satan immediately questions whether or not Jesus is the Son of God, and he noticeably drops the word “beloved” (Matthew 4:3). He never wants you to remember how much the Father loves you, and the Father wants you to never forget it.
Christ’s love surpasses our ability to comprehend because it is higher, deeper, longer and wider than our ability to love. A revelation of His love for us expands our ability to love others, thus causing us to fulfill His command to love. The scripture further explains that when we know the love of Christ, we will “be filled with all the fullness of God” (3:19).
All that God is; His wisdom, His goodness, etc, will fill the believer that understands how loved that they are. This is why it is so beautiful that the Apostle John repeatedly refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved in the book of John. It does not mean that Jesus loved him more than anyone else, but that John recognized how loved that he was. God loves you know more or less than He loves anyone else, but you should recognize his love for you and you will walk in His benefits.
If you ask a sinner if they know that God loves them, many of them will respond, “Oh yeah, God loves everyone”. They are right, but with that limited comprehension of God’s love, they do not see how personal that His love is. God’s love must be aimed at them, or they cannot know its full benefits. It is like pointing a magnifying glass at a blade of grass. If you hold the beam of concentrated sunlight on the blade long enough, it will catch fire. The sun’s rays were shining on it before, but it was falling equally on all blades around it. Isolate the beam, burn the blade. Isolate the love of God to one sinner instead of for the whole world; you burn away the chaff of self-righteousness and doubt.
May you be able to comprehend the amount of God’s love for you today. That is my prayer for each of you as you go into this world. Accept that love and spread it to someone else.
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