Bible Readings: Ephesians 3:16-21
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
A Reflection
I remember when our children were little they would try to express their love for us by holding their arms out wide and saying, ‘I love you this much’. It became a bit of a competition to see who could stretch their arms out the furthest, until one of them held their hands together and said, ‘I love you this much’ while indicting from the back of their hands and adding, ‘all the way round the world and back again’.
Children grow up and we express our love in different ways. Circumstances may change and things happen, some good, some bad, but that deep-down love never goes away.
St Paul had a similar problem trying to express how much God loves us. He expresses God’s love for us as immeasurable in three dimensions, wanting us to grasp how wide and how long and how high is God’s love for us, and praying that we might know God’s love, whilst recognising that it surpasses knowledge.
Having said all this, it seems that Paul still feels that his expression of God's love is too limited and so he adds the fourth dimension, time, and beyond that eternity, when he says, ‘throughout all generations, for ever and ever’.
In all the difficulties of life, it can be easy to lose sight of the love of God for each of us and for his troubled world, and to forget the love that he showed for us when Jesus stretched his arms out for us on the cross and said ‘I love you this much’.
Why not set aside some time now, to reflect on God’s boundless love for you, becoming ‘rooted and established’ in the love of God, so that you are strengthened to handle all that today brings your way.
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, even though your love is beyond my understanding, help me to grasp a little more of your love for me today, and may the knowledge of that love transform my life.
Amen
Or God is a great big God.
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