May [you] 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. (Eph. 3:18)
Expanded Passage: Ephesians 3:17-18
We measured the area, width, depth, length, and height for the coffee cart we had ordered for my kitchen. However, when my grandson began assembling it, we realized the measurements were only for the main part of the cart, not the towel rod on the side. We had to remove it from the cart for it to fit properly. The problem? We had failed to consider all the measurements.
Paul’s prayer includes asking God to help the Ephesians understand how “wide, long, high and deep” Christ’s love measured. They knew Jesus had come to earth as a baby, lived a sinless life, and died for their sins. That is love. Deep love! Paul was not praying that the Ephesians would love God more. He was praying they could grasp the magnitude of God’s love. A love that is hard for our human capabilities to understand.
When we come to a knowledge of how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is, it is then we can begin a relentless and fervent passion to know him more. God’s love sent Jesus to earth. Jesus’ love sent himself to the cross. The Holy Spirit’s love sent himself to live in us. Like Paul, our prayer should be to grasp the amazing love of Christ. The Christ of the manger, yes, but also the Christ of the cross.
Trace the love of Christ; it can never be fully understood.
Pamela J. Kuhn’s favorite word is joy, and her favorite place is anywhere that holds books and sells tea. Her husband, RB, is a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
