Four Dimensions of God's Love

This morning, I continue with yesterday's blog. The text is Ephesians 3:14-21. There are four dimensions of God's love that Paul wants us to not just understand, but to grasp. He wants us to experience the fullness of God's love. Those dimensions describe a cube or a box. They are width, length, height, and depth. So the question, I ask you this morning is - How do you measure God's love? Most often, we measure God's love by our circumstances and situations. We measure God by what we have or don't have. We measure God's love by the prayers that He answers or does not answer. We measure God by our feelings.

It is sort of like a jack-in-the-box. As we pray for a need, the handle begins to turn. When our answer to prayer comes - God appears! But if there is no answer - if God does not appear - we think the box is broken. Our measurement of God is limited by our thoughts and understanding of God. So then how do we measure God's love?

Consider God the width of God's love. The width of God's love may be the most obvious thing that distinguishes His love from human love. We love certain people, but not others. We love certain types of people, but not others - it could be by size, weight, age, or color of skin. But God loves everybody. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." God loves everybody! The width of God's love is all inclusive!

Consider the length of God's love. This could be refering to time. God's love is from everlasting to everlasting. It isn't just available on Sunday morning. There are no "business hours" when it comes to God's love. He never takes a vacation. He is not inconvenienced or bothered by disruptions to His schedule.

It means that God never gives up on us. I must admit that mine does. When I offer people love, they have a certain amount of time to respond before I give up on them. God isn't like that. His love is more like the Energizer Bunny - it just keeps going and going and going. God's love is so long it will never let us go.

Consider the height of God's love. This might refer to a high standard or quality, for God's love far surpasses any human love that we may know. We determine quality by comparing one thing to another. There is not a thing that we can humanly compare to God's love. It far surpasses any comparison. God's love is of such high quality, that it will never let you down.

Consider the depth of God's love. Depth is used to describe the depths of the sea or the depths of a miry pit. It's also used in the parable of the seeds to describe the seed that lands on rocky soil and springs up quickly, then dies, because there is no depth to the soil. It looks good, but there is nothing to it. It like the reality TV shows - they appear to be real - but they aren't. Because there is no depth to the show.

God's love is the exact opposite. It is absolutely real! It has depth! His love also is capable of reaching into the depths of one's heart and being. He able to reach into our deepest need.

So this Valentines Day, why not allow God's box of love to be expanded in your life. My prayer for you is Paul's prayer that you may "know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."