Loving as Jesus loved!
Ephesians That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
1. The width of Christ's love speaks of His love being universal. Loving as Jesus loved!
His love transcends nationality - He loved the Jew Matthew and the Samaritan woman at the well. His love transcends social position - He loved Nicodemus, the temple leader and Bartimaeus the street beggar. His love transcends economic status - He loved the rich young ruler and the widow who had two mites. His love transcends age - He loved both the old lady who had been bound for 30 years and the young children. Loving as Jesus loved!
2. The length of Christ's love speaks of His love being eternal. Loving as Jesus loved!
The love of Christ goes from generation to generation. It was from the beginning and it will be there at the end. The Lord never stops loving us. Don't let the devil deceive you into thinking that God withdraws His love when you make a mistake. God's love is steadfast. He loves you in your mistakes. The Father of the prodigal kept loving his son even when his son left him for the world. It was the knowledge of his father's steadfast love that motivated that young man to head home from the pigsty. He knew his father would not reject him. Loving as Jesus loved!
3. The depth of Christ's love speaks of His love being unfathomable. Loving as Jesus loved!
Jesus' love was both for the temple leader Nicodemus but also for the criminal on the cross. His blood was shed for all the sins of the world including the worst of all. He loves the thief and murderer. He loved the adulteress and the prostitute. Do we love this type of people? His love reaches the depths of hell, those who committed terrible sins. He is not solely the Saviour of educated and polite people. He is the saviour of terrible criminals? Loving as Jesus loved!
4. The height of Christ's love speaks of His love being heavenly. Loving as Jesus loved!
Man's love is limited. God's love comes from the heights of heaven. His love is like a mountain that towers over us. Man's love is conditional; God's love is unconditional. Man's love is selfish, but God's love is selfless and self-sacrificing. Man's love is earthly; God's love is heavenly. Loving as Jesus loved!
Let us spend a few moments thinking about God’s love and how it applies to us. Loving as Jesus loved!