And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:18
My brother frequently has an adorable conversation with my precious three-year-old niece Collins. It goes like this: He asks her, “Who loves you?” Next, she gets this adorable grin on her face and points straight at him. That little girl knows without a doubt that her daddy loves her, and when he reminds her about it, she lights up. It affects her actual demeanor because she believes it. It is so precious and profound. She lights up at that question because she believes that her dad really, really loves her. This interaction got me thinking, what if we lived believing God loves us in the same way that Collins does? What if our confidence in God’s love was so great that it changed our demeanor and became the focal point of our identities. I believe that this would change everything.
Scripture consistently points us to God’s love. One of the places we read about this love is Ephesians 3. In this book of the Bible, Paul wrote of his desire for his readers to grasp God’s love for them. He prayed that they would “have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is” (verse 18). He desired all of God’s people to know the very depths of God’s love. This kind of love roots us, doesn’t it? It informs our identities. When we live completely rooted in God’s love, we are confident and view ourselves the way God does. It makes all of the difference. Paul stated that when we understand this, we are complete with the “fullness of life and power that comes from God” (verse 19).
Paul’s prayer that readers would fully grasp God’s love for them includes you. He wanted you to understand just how deep God’s love is. It is true that God loves you, and that is where your identity lies. Will you rest fully in His love for you? He loves you so much He sent Jesus, His one and only Son, to earth to die on a cross so that you could be rescued and have life in Him.
My friend, you are loved by God. This never changes, but sometimes we need a reminder. Write “loved by God” down on your mirror with a dry erase marker or write it down on a notecard and stick that card to your mirror. Leave it up for the next week and every time you look at it, remind yourself of this incredible truth and challenge yourself to live believing this is true.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)
14 "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."
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