Layers

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, 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. Ephesians 3: 17a-19 NIV

Have you ever prayed for something and then were surprised when God answered? God’s loving response is that Christmas gift wrapped in multiple layers of boxes and wrapping paper. I never get to the end and each new box or layer of paper thrills me.

Paul challenges us to tackle the dimensions of this love: height, width, depth, and length. God surrounds us with grand things: the Amazon River, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, the Pacific Ocean, the Milky Way. Each are profound in their magnitude, yet each has limits. God love knows no such limits. It stretches past our understanding and leaves us shaking our heads and wondering, “For me?”

For you.

God’s love is the ultimate gift and it never gets old. Unwrap it. Dive its depths, scale its heights, explore its length, and walk its width. Keep unwrapping into next week, January, February, forever. What will you discover this day? This year?

Questions for the Week:

1)                  List things that are : High       Deep    Long    Wide

What is the largest thing you can think of for each category?

2)                  How does God’s love compare with each of these?

3)                  Do you believe this love is for you? Why?

4)                  How does this affect you on a daily basis? Does it change how you live? If you don’t believe His love is for you, what would change if you did believe?

5)                  Paul talks in the last verse about “knowing this love that surpasses knowledge.”  What is the difference between knowing about and knowing personally?

Merry Christmas! God’s greatest blessings on you and your family.

Gayle