-How wide? How long? How high? How deep is His love for me? Look to the left, look to the right, to the east towards the rising sun, to the west where it sets in all its glory, on either side as far as the eye can see and what do you see? Definitely not my sins - those are gone, removed forever as far as the east is from the west. No - I see love. To the horizon and beyond as far as the eye can see in every direction. Amazing, magnificent, bountiful, overflowing love. Look ahead, far beyond the limits of my vision, and look back, both in space and in time love ever-boundless and everlasting, always there, never wavering or waning in the least. Look up, into the sky and to the ends of the known universe and beyond, love, uncontained and free. Then look down, under my feet and as far down as I can go all the way to China, everywhere my path may lead - love. A steadfast indestructible foundation, God’s love supports me and holds me and hems me in on every side in 4-dimensional breathtaking goodness at all times, whenever, wherever.
-Paul’s prayer is for these believers and by extension for all the saints (and for us!) to be enabled by God Himself to fully grasp just how great His love (for us) actually is. How great is it? Even the apostle John, the one who had a special appreciation for being loved by the Lord (John 13.23, 19.26), finds himself at a loss for words actually. For God SO loved - that little adverb is all he can muster as he contemplates the immensity of God’s love with which He loves us, which He lavishly poured out on humanity in a crimson flow of precious blood issuing forth from the veins of His only Son as He bled out and died in our place on that cruel Roman cross (John 3.16, cf Romans 5.8). Emptied Himself of all but love, amazing love, how can it be that You my God should die for me? (Charles Wesley)
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