The Power of His Love

Ephesians 3:14-19

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every 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 Lord's holy people, 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.

In Matthew 22, when Jesus was asked by an expert in the law what the greatest commandment of God was, Jesus told him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  God's greatest commandment for us is to love: love God and love others.

Today, you may be struggling with love.  You may be struggling to love others the way God commands because you are struggling to grasp God's love for you.  Today, I want you to know the power of His love.  John 3:16 says, "For God SO LOVED the world that he gave his one Son, that whoever believes sin him shall not perish but have eternal life."  1 John 4:16 says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."  And 1 John 4:19 goes on to say, "We love because he FIRST LOVED us."  Two things I want you to know first about God's love for you: 1) He SO LOVES you, and 2) He FIRST LOVES you.  God's love is not something you deserve or something you earn.  God's love is also not something you can lose or lessen.  Another thing I want you to know about God's love for you: God's love for you is POWERFUL; it is so wide and so long and so high and so deep that it surpasses all knowledge!  That is why Paul prayed this prayer in Ephesians 3.  He wanted believers to think about God's incredible love for them.  He wanted them to be strengthened by God's love and filled by God's love.  He wanted them to grasp it.  Why?  Paul wanted them enjoy the relationship they had with God through Jesus Christ, who dwells in their hearts.  He wanted them to enjoy the fullness of God each and every day of their lives.

Lord, I pray today that we would truly know Your powerful love for us.  I pray that today we would grasp Your powerful love for us and that we would enjoy a full relationship with You through Christ, who dwells in our hearts.  I pray, like John tells us in his letter, that we would know and rely on Your powerful love each and every day!  I pray that we all would understand clearly that You SO LOVE us and You FIRST LOVE us.  Thank You, Lord, for loving us this way and making a way for us to love You and others this way, as well.  Now, may we do it...for Your glory!  Amen.