October 1

The Dimensions Of God's Love

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. — Eph 3:17-19 BSB

The dimensions of the Love of Christ! It is as broad as humanity, “for God so loved the world.” The length of God’s love has no beginning and will never end. God is Love; it is unbreakable, unchanging, and always present. Its height—like the Flood rising above the highest mountains—covers even our greatest sins. It is as high as heaven is above the earth. Its depth—Christ descended to the lowest places before He rose to the highest. He touched the very bottom of our sin, misery, sorrow, and need. No matter how low you fall or how lowly your life may seem, the everlasting arms of His love are always beneath you.

The Apostle speaks in hyperbole when he prays that we may come to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. We cannot measure Christ’s love, but we can experience it. Probably the only way to truly know the love of Christ is to begin to show it. Emotional responses alone won’t bring understanding; neither will mere theories or poetic words. But the soul that seeks to show Christ’s love will come to know it. As Christ’s love works through you, growing wider, longer, deeper, and higher, you will come to know His love—not just in your mind, but in your heart and life (1 John 4:11-12, 1 John 4:20-21).

But you might say, “There are people in my life whom I cannot love.” True, but you must understand the difference between love and the feeling of love. You may not feel love at first, but you can still choose to be a channel of Christ’s love. You may not be able to love in your own strength, but Christ lives in you, and He can. Is it too much to expect this to happen in our lives and the lives of others? Not at all, because God is already at work in us through His Holy Spirit, and He can do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine. Ask your farthest, dream your highest, and know that Divine Love is always beyond it.

Prayer

We thank You, O God, for the infinite love You have given us in Jesus Christ. We cannot measure its heights, depths, breadths, and lengths. Teach us, along with all Your saints, to know more by loving more. Amen.