His Love Has No Limit

(Eph. 3:17-19, 1 Cor. 13:8-13, John 1:29, Rev. 5:6)

Years ago I learned this song.

His love has no limit,

His grace has no measure,

His power has no boundary known unto man,

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,

He gives, and He gives, and He gives again.

I sing it often.  Few words can say so much.  All else may fail, but the love of God never fails.  It has no end because He is (I am that I am) and love is His nature.  We could say it is His very essence.  Paul prayed that the Ephesians would know the height and depth and width, and the length of the love of God that goes beyond knowledge.  How can we know that which cannot be fully comprehended?  Lord, save us from mere philosophy but may we never cease to consider the wonder of Your love.

To ponder the story of Jesus has great value.  To begin, He was born of a virgin, taking on human flesh, then threatened with murder as a little child, and raised in the traditions of the Jews.  From the incident in Jerusalem at 12, for 18 years He bore with the self-righteousness of the Pharisees every Sabbath.  He saw the way the system of His day oppressed the people.  He knew His calling and what was done to the prophets.  And He came to clearly understand He was sent as the Lamb of God.  What does it mean to bear the sins of the whole cosmos from Adam until that day He was crucified, and beyond?  Who can understand the weight of that?

As we read the gospels we see different perspectives.  We see stories repeated but with different details.  Throughout, the love and compassion of Christ shines through.  He never allowed the religious darkness of His day to stop Him from healing, or casting out a demon.  His motivation was always love.  He delivered people from demonic oppression, healed the sick, restored a dead son to her widowed mother, and so much more.  John tells us He did so many good and wonderful works that all the books in the world could not contain the record of them.  We might say he was exaggerating but I don’t think so.  In one man, God had concentrated His power so that He might touch a nation of people.  But in the big picture, those people rejected Him.

While this love that was extended to His enemies, to those who hated Him, was shown exponentially through Christ Jesus, God had showed it to Israel for centuries.  Read through the prophets.  God saw His people, whom He wanted to know intimately, as a whore.  She was unfaithful in heart.  She wanted blessing she could touch and handle but God was looking for a circumcised heart.  He worked as a surgeon to open her eyes to His ways of lovingkindness and truth but she could not see.  And in love and wisdom, He waited for the fulness of time and sent His Son to display His love.

Now, He has a many-membered body on the earth.  “A body you have prepared for me,” Christ says through the prophet.  He goes on, “It is written in the book.  I delight to do Your will O my God.”  Christ is declaring this to His Father.  Are you listening?  Are you a member of His body?  This is your story.  You may not “feel” like it but His Spirit is echoing in your spirit, the will of God is your delight.  It brings the highest joy you can know.  What is the will of God?  Love Him with all that you are, and love the ones around you as He loves you.  That is how we love ourselves.  Lean back into the love of God for you.  Soak in it.  Remember it.  Meditate on that truth.  He who gave His own Son to draw you to Himself, will give you all you need through Him.

All Things Work Together

(Eph. 1:4-5, Rom. 8:28-30, Jer. 31:31-34, Heb. 2:10-11, 8:7-13)

From before the foundation of the world, the universe, God knew we would be here today.  As you read this, realize that the One who formed you in your mother’s womb knew every detail of your life before you were conceived.  This cannot be explained or deciphered by the natural mind apart from understanding given by God.  Faith itself is a gift from God.  And we can receive it.  We were created with the capacity to believe Him.

These words written here are intended for believers who are, or are becoming, disciples.  Simply said, disciples are those who are spending time with a teacher.  Jesus Christ is our best teacher.  We have had other teachers and they all have a value.  In our schools we have known good and bad teachers.  In spiritual things, the same is also true.  Part of the value is learning the difference.  Sometimes it is obvious.  Often, we can glean some good spiritual food and need to spit out the bones.  Sometimes, as Jesus said to the Laodiceans, we need to vomit.  Then we could offer grace to those who would listen.  Read what Jesus said to His own who lived in Laodicea. (Rev. 3:20)

No matter who has taught us we can grow in direct relationship with our Father in heaven.  John wrote that we have an anointing, the Holy Spirit, so that we need no man to teach us.  God’s way is to give us others who help to reinforce the truth that is already working in us.  I continue to point people to the meaning of the new covenant.  It was spoken through Jeremiah long before it came through Christ Jesus.  It is the covenant in His blood.  It is eternal, unchanging.  By the Spirit we are growing in all truth.

All the places we have been, God has been getting our attention.  Today He wants to bring something your way so that you might increase in knowing Him.  This is the good purpose He is after.  He is after you being fully His.  It is like being married.  The marriage of a man and a woman is one of the best pictures of a spiritual reality that we have in the natural world.  Jesus looked for ways He could bring an understanding of the kingdom of God.  He used what we call the parables.  Disciples were given to understand but others did not understand.  When He spoke of the need to eat His flesh and drink His blood, some who had been following turned away.  But some followed on.  They knew He was speaking on another level as He had also said His words are Spirit and life.  His very words bring spiritual life.  They even are that life.

We must have a Spirit of revelation, of understanding.  By the Spirit the eyes of our understanding are enlightened.  The blinders are removed to see what was always present.  Then our life circumstances, troubles that come, are understood from God’s perspective.  With a right attitude we can ask, God, what are You after in this situation.  I am in a hard place, Lord, but in trusting you, this can be a benefit to me.  I can learn something here, I can grow.  The Lord wants us to know we are His children and, as any good father would do, He wants His children to grow, to mature.  The good teachers, pastors, apostles, and others we have known as disciples have this same desire.  The best ones are looking to work themselves out of a job.  They have learned to cooperate with God to help all of us grow in our vertical relationship with our Father.

These best ones also know they are still learning.  When we see someone we look up to fall into sin or fail us in some way, we may realize we had put them on a pedestal.  We may see church splits and all of our collective failures in terms of our denominations and attempts to “build a church.”  May we be careful not to think it is for us to fix it all.  The weeds, those clouds without rain, must be allowed to grow among His true disciples.  Otherwise we may mess up those who are following on to know Jesus Christ as He truly is.