Ephesians 3:14-19 PHILLIPS When I think of the greatness of this great plan I fall on my knees before God the Father (from whom all fatherhood, earthly or heavenly, derives its name), and I pray that out of the glorious richness of his resources he will enable you to know the strength of the spirit’s inner re-inforcement—that Christ may actually live in your hearts by your faith. And I pray that you, firmly fixed in love yourselves, may be able to grasp (with all Christians) how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ—and to know for yourselves that love so far beyond our comprehension. May you be filled though all your being with God himself!
HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US
Stuart Townend © 1995 Thankyou Music
How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss – The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life; I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything, No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart – His wounds have paid my ransom.
Observation
All of creation and everything that has arisen from it, all that has occurred in the past or will happen in the future, is about this love. Not all that was created or has happened reflects the intentions of His love, because creation and history has been twisted by the evil workings of God’s enemy, Satan. However, all is still subject to His love, the grace, mercy and justice characteristic to it, and His eternal plan to redeem and restore everything to exist within it. His plan is not only to restore the earth to its proper order but also to restore mankind to his initial and intended relationship with this God of Love.
To accomplish this redemption and restoration, He gave Himself as the sacrifice, the only sacrifice with enough value, enough purity, enough righteousness, enough eternal impact, to pay the price for, redeem, restore, forgive all sin – past, present and future. This was His plan from the beginning because He was not surprised at Man’s Fall. His Plan A was always “that Christ may actually live in your hearts by your faith” – God Himself paying the price and then freeing providing the priceless reward to whosoever will come and believe – “Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer; But this I know with all my heart – His wounds have paid my ransom.”
Impact on Me
I have been many times in a mully-grubby place, vacillating between knowing and not knowing, understanding and not understanding, clearly seeing His footsteps before me and having them obscured by urgencies, distractions, emotional issues, or a path that might appear easier. In those times, I was struggling to maintain a balance between those things I am able to bear and the unbearable, those things I can change and what I must leave to God, what I want and what He wants for and from me. This wobbly place is a result of my soul listening more to my human flesh than the Spirit of Christ in me, depending more on what is possible for me to do rather than leaning into God’s possibilities.
Jesus is not surprised that these wobbly events occur in me; I am, after all, human – inconsistent, emotional, questioning, impulsive, prideful and so much more – a work in progress in Christ. The remarkable, amazing, wondrous, extravagantly loving part is that He doesn’t give up on me. He listens to my whiny psalms and reminds me that He is with me and for me no matter what happened, is happening or will happen. In one of those wobbly places, He gave me a picture of me floating peacefully on the calm sea of His love, out of sight of land, and reminded me that the ocean waters can be thousands of feet deep and thousands of miles wide. His love is deeper, wider and safer – rest in it.
Devotion
Lord God, my Redeemer, my Savior, my patient mentor, I stand in awe of You and all You have sacrificed for me. I give You freedom in me to work Your love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control. I ask for Paul’s prayer to bear fruit in me -“And I pray that you, firmly fixed in love yourselves, may be able to grasp (with all Christians) how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ—and to know for yourselves that love so far beyond our comprehension.” May I be grateful, wise, honest and courageous enough to see with Your eyes and love with Your heart regardless of the cost to me. Make it so, in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 