Love

DEVOTION
EPHESIANS
LOVE

Eph 3:17-18
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,
NIV
I remember my mother teaching me to say “wide as the widest ocean, long as the longest road, high as the highest sky, deep as the deepest sea is my love you thee” or something like that. I never really understood that at such a young age, and I still may not completely understand just how much Christ really does love me. But here God tells me I am rooted and established in love, his love. I am rooted in his love and because of that prayer if offered up on my behalf to have power together with all the other believers to grasp just how much Christ does love me. Love is such a difficult word to totally understand. I know I use it in so many different contexts, as do so many people. It seems to be tossed around loosely at times without real meaning, without real truth behind it, or with some self seeking motive mixed in with the use of that word. Sometimes I feel it is shallow and used with disregard for the true sense it should convey. I wonder if young couples who have its definition read at their wedding really actually hear what is being said. Knowing how much Christ loves me should motivate me to the same love towards others. It should spur me on to those same self sacrificing actions of Christ. Although I desire to be like him, I do fail, I do fall short of the mark. I suppose everyone does, but is that an excuse? I do know, no matter if I do fail he continues to love me as much as if I never failed. That is difficult to grasp in the fullest, but I know it is true because he tells me so. Can I love others in that manner? If they fail me in some way, if they hurt my feelings, of course if I love them how could they hurt my feelings or fail me? This is a dilemma of sorts. I have to remember 1 Corthinains 13 each and every day, each and every moment I am breathing. This spells out me responsibility and how I am to love. It sure defines Christ love for me, and thus should define my love for him and for others. Lord, thank you for loving me and help me to love others even more.