Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 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.”
To know God is to know the love of God which passes earthly knowledge. This super-natural spiritual knowledge assures our hearts of God’s unconditional love. For we are the sons and daughters of God in the midst of a wicked and perverse nation among whom we shine as lights in a world of darkness. To forsake the darkness of the fallen world is to know the heart of God. Knowing God’s heart is to love Him above all ... to acknowledge, despite the God-rejecting world’s accusations, that we’re loved with the pure unadulterated love of God. We love Him because He first loved us.
Apart from the spiritual agape love of God, worldly types of love are fragile and limited. Worldly love is conditional on the performance of the other party. To love with God’s love, we must approach his throne of grace on His terms according to His word. The love of this world will leave us frustrated and unfulfilled. However, Jesus said, come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Within his grace, mercy, and love, it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.
What does it mean to accept Jesus as Lord? Lord means owner. The people of God is God’s people. This is the genitive of possession. Who are we when Jesus is Lord? Christianity is not who we are. Instead Christianity is whose we are. According to Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” What is the love of God? Herein is the love of God made perfect. He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.
In order to turn from sin and unto the Lord, we must approach him with a contrite heart of repentance in humility. Therefore, 1 John 9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God has called us into fellowship with himself. When we give up the rights of our sinful flesh, then we can come to Him with a heart of humility according to His terms. God will come to us with the grip of His son’s nail-pierced hands. If He must break our hearts in order for us to reach for His hand, then thank Him for breaking our heart.
The devil will tempt us to think that we need to be in control. The question is not who will sit on Christ’s right and left hand in positions of honor in God’s kingdom. The right question is, do you love me? You are not your own, You are bought with a price. Therefore we are His and He is ours. This is our challenge and our calling: to love God above all. For He alone is worthy. That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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