Christian living without Christ’s love doesn’t work…
This week’s devotions are based on Week 7 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Christianity can often become a set of rules.
This past weekend it was nice to attend a Bible class and worship that I didn’t have to prepare for or lead. Not that I don’t enjoy leading God’s people in worship or digging deeper into the truths of Scripture, but it’s nice to be on the other end of that as well. In the discussion we were talking about some of Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel (Chapters 5-7). A face value, many of the teachings of Jesus’ sermon deal with the life of the Christian. As we will see…we need that. However, an observation that I had (not the first time) is that often the greatest curiosity of the Christian is how to do Christianity right. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but it often feels like, “If I just had the right rule for every situation in life, I would be good.” Yet the Bible is lacking in giving us every situation that could occur in life and every answer for every situation…as far as specifics.
This coupled with a devotion that my wife read yesterday morning as we were driving home from our vacation made me realize once again the importance, wisdom, and solidly Gospel teaching that the Apostle Paul has been giving us in his letter to the Ephesians. The Christian life is nothing but legalism without the impact of the Gospel in our hearts. If our lives as Christians is motivated by anything other than the amazing Gospel message, it will be a resounding gong and clanging cymbal (See 1 Corinthians 13).
So, the Apostle Paul spent the first half (chapters 1-3) of Ephesians to clearly lay out for us the tremendous and gracious love of God that chose us, empowered us, made us alive, called us and made us part of his family. These realities form our identity.
Who we are in Christ leads us to live our lives for Christ. We can never detach the love of Christ for us from our life of living for Christ. Paul puts it this way:
Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Simply put, live the life God has called you to live. He chose you, called you and saved you for a purpose…to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
For the rest of the letter, Paul outlines what it looks like as the love of Christ works in us and empowers us to live for Christ.
What a gift that God gives…not only does he calls us to faith, but he clearly guides us to live that faith…not as simply a set of rules, but as direction to what a life looks like that reflects the love of Christ.
The rest of this week we will look at the guidance the Spirit gives through Paul. As we do, always remember this:
2 Corinthians 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Apply: Do you often desire the “Christian rule book for life” without taking time to reflect on and fill yourself with the love Christ has for you? You can’t pour out what is not being poured in!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for making me your child. As I live for you, let me always remember that to live a life worthy of the calling you have given to me, I must always be filled with the love you have shown to me! AMEN.
How deep is the love of Christ?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 6 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Depth provides stability.
If you are building a building, the depth of the foundation is important to the stability of the building. In soft soil, piers have to be driven deep into the ground to provide solid stability for whatever is built on top of it.
Depth provides strength.
A tree that has a deep tap root can withstand stronger winds than a tree with a shallow root base. A fence pole that is driven deep into the ground can provide a strong point of anchoring for the rest of the fence.
Depth provides sustenance.
I learned recently that when you plant a tomato plant from a starter plant, you don’t just put the part of the plant that has soil on it into the ground, rather you pluck the lower leaves off and then bury the plant up to the second set of leaves (or even deeper). At the bottom of a young tomato plant are little fuzzy hairs that come out of the stem. When these are buried, they become roots that provide much more sustenance for the plant as it produces fruit.
The love of Christ is deep.
This week we have been looking at the width, height, length and depth of God’s love for us. The directional terms combined communicate the expansive nature of God’s love for us. But when one looks at each individually, the marvel of his love and grace are greatly augmented.
Ephesians 3:18-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
The depth of Christ’s love provides stability.
The one constant in life for the Christian is the love of Christ. No matter what happens in life we cannot be separated from the love of God.
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The depth of Christ’s love provides strength.
The more the reality and impact of God’s love works in me, the stronger our faith becomes. It drives our lives, calms our hearts, and assures our mind.
Colossians 2:6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
The depth of Christ’s love provides sustenance.
We cannot give what we do not have. Christ love pours into us so that his love can pour out of us.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
I pray that you grasp, I pray that I can grasp the depth of Christ’s love for us!
Apply: Which of these three aspects of the depth of Christ’s love do you need most today? How will you fill yourself with Christ’s love today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the depth of your love for us. May it give us stability, strength and sustenance today! AMEN
How high is the love of Christ?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 6 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Yesterday, we went with my mother-in-law to look at living arrangements that might suit their season of life and need for independence, but perhaps additional resources to help them do things they are challenged to do like they used to. The one apartment available that the sales agent showed us was on the fourth floor of the complex and in the corner of the building. As we stood out on the patio you could see for miles…all the way to downtown Minneapolis…which is about 25 miles away. The sales agent mentioned you can see 10-12 fireworks displays from this vantage point. For 180 plus degrees you could see for miles around.
Having a vantage point at the top of a mountain peak, a tall building in a city or a high hill can be an awe-inspiring vantage point. One sees much more than what can be seen at street level.
Sometimes we can view the love of Christ from a street-level view point. We see the immediate effect of his presence and power and enjoy the saving grace and the forgiveness he gives to us. But do we really realize how “high” is the love of Christ?
Ephesians 3:18-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
When we take an elevated viewpoint of the love of God we begin to see different facets of his love that maybe we miss when we simply go through our day with little awareness of his love. When the Spirit of God elevates us above our day to day routine, we begin to see more fully God’s love. The first part of Ephesians elevates us to see the eternal plan of God that orchestrated our salvation in eternity and precisely carried out a plan to ensure that we were included in grace today.
Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
Chapter 2 of Ephesians gives us an “out of body” experience that shows us what happened while we were spiritually dead to bring us to life and ensure us that we are saved and heaven is ours.
Ephesian 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
We see the height of God’s love as he lifts our eyes heavenwards and promises the room in heaven and an eternity with him. Throughout the Scripture, as we take time to slow down and enjoy the view, we see God’s amazing love that he is orchestrating for us on a daily basis. Perhaps the best today is to stop and slow down and reflect on God’s great love from a vantage point of the height of Jesus’ love!
Apply: What do you see when you view God’s love from a high vantage point?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the immense love you have for me that not only shows itself on a daily basis, but also to see the many things we miss, but you regularly show to us! AMEN.
How wide is God’s love for you?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 6 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Ephesians 3:18-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
How wide is the love of Christ?
Have you ever been part of a “group hug”? You know, those moments when a group of people perhaps have a bit of tension among them and someone suggests, “Group hug!” Everyone stretches their arms out as wide as they can and encircles as many people as possible. The best is when the width of the hug’s reach is wide enough to encompass everyone who is there.
It feels good to be part of a group hug. It’s great to have the arms of others wrapped around you in a truly sincere hug. You feel included. You feel loved.
When asked, “How much does Jesus love you?” a child may respond by flinging their arms as far apart as they can and saying, “THIIIIIS MUCH!”
It’s true. Jesus loved you enough to stretch his arms as wide as they could and have his love spread over you…and many more. • John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
To be included in Christ’s saving work is in itself a tremendous gift of love. But then to add to that, the width of God’s love has also led him to include us in his family! 1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!.
Over the centuries, God’s love has stretched wide over many people around the world and across the eras. He has included in the hug of his grace people from every nation, tribe and people group. He has given to forgiveness to countless people around the world and assured them all that they were part of his family. His love for all of us is boundless. It is lavished on us and surrounds us.
- Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
You too!
Jesus’ love is so wide that it also includes you.
You don’t have to question it, earn it, or try to justify it. The group hug of the Father, Son and Spirit’s love wraps securely around you and assures you, you are a loved, forgiven child of God.
I pray we all can grasp how wide is God’s love for you today!
Apply: Have you ever felt outside the love of God? How does it feel? As you picture and sense the arms of your Savior wrapping around you, how does it feel to experience the width of God’s love for you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the immense width of your love that includes me in your love. AMEN.
If you only knew how much I love you!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 6 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Every parent has probably gone through a situation or season in their life of raising their children that they feel the displeasure of the children. Perhaps it’s a fit after not buying a toy in the store. I maybe was the refusal to let them go over to a friend’s house, or as a teenager a blistering rampage about a curfew that was too early.
In all of these situations and more, a child’s response might be, “You don’t love me” or more direct, “I hate you!”
To be sure, these interactions pierce the heart of a parent who has unconditional love for their child and giving their best effort to guide their children in a way that is beneficial and training them to be a blessing to the people around them.
If they only knew how much you love them.
If only.
It might be years after that finally a grown child, perhaps with children of their own, encounters a similar situation in their parenting life and calls you up and says, “I’m sorry. I never knew. I never knew how much you loved me. Thank you.”
In the moment we can fail to see the unconditional and undying love of our parents, but how much greater it would be if we could, in the moment, see how great the love our parents have for us.
In a much greater way, how often do we react to our heavenly Father in the same way. We have a fit when he doesn’t do what we want. We doubt his love when a season of hardship comes into our lives. We push against the boundaries that his law sets up for us. Too often we simply think, “God doesn’t love me!”
Oh, how God must react in heaven when we act this way and want to scream in our ears for our hearts to be convinced of…”If they only knew how much I love you!”
As Paul writes to the Ephesians he wants them to know HOW MUCH God loves them! Just to grasp a bit more the immensity of God’s love for them personally. The first part of the letter has laid out God’s love that called them empowered them, made them alive, gave them purpose and more. All of this that shapes their identity is simply because of God’s love for them.
So as we begin this new week, Paul’s prayer is my prayer for you as well…
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 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, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Apply: What aspect of God’s love do you forget about most or question the most?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for always acting in love toward me. Forgive my failure to see your love and then question your love. Lead me always to see, to grasp, and to live in the fullness of your love. AMEN.