By That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19).
How great is the love of our Savior? It is so great that it actually passes knowledge- we cannot fully grasp how great it is. However, we can measure it to an extent by what God has actually done for us.
John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” God’s willingness to do this speaks of a sacrificial love that simply cannot be fully understood. This is particularly true when we look at ourselves as Romans 5:6-8 describes us:
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:10 goes on to say that we were separated from God- in fact, we were His enemies. Reconciliation was needed. God gave His Son so that we could be reconciled to Him. Jesus’ death brought reconciliation; Jesus’ life brought eternal salvation.
Can we think of anyone else that would go through all this for people who had constantly treated them horribly? This is a love without bounds and without explanation in our experience as humans walking this earth. However, we can give a measure of love back to Him.
How do we do this? First, we obey Him. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Really, after all He has done for us, we should want to do this for Him.
Considering His sacrifice for us, we should be willing to commit ourselves to Him. Romans 12:1 rings loud and clear: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Notice: this is our reasonable service.
Finally, we should love God with all we have. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” When we consider and truly discern how much love God has shown us, we cannot help but desire to give our love to Him.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 