Love's Awesome Power

 Do you have a favorite verse in the Bible?  You want to know one of my all time favorites?  It's   It's 2 Corinthians 5:14-15:

...Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

How does this speak to you?  For Christ really to be in control of my life, I must have a deep connection to His love for me.  Where do I find that connection?  Certainly one way is to contemplate all of the grace and blessing that I have experienced in walking with Him.  Perhaps the most substantial way is to witness, through His word, just how much He loves me.  

Take for example Ephesians 3:16-20:

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  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.  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.  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.

Let's identify some summary points in these two verses.

1.  The love of Christ (John 3:16) controls us.

2.  As we trust in him more and more, we find ourselves no longer living for self, but we will live for Christ who died for us, personally.  This new life is accomplished by joyfully  and sacrificially following after him (Luke 9:23-24, Romans 12:1-2).

3.  Christ makes his home in our hearts as we put our complete trust in him.

4.  Being rooted in the love of Christ greatly strengthens us.

5.  Paul prayed that we would have the power to know how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  Note the multidimensional aspect of this awesome love!

6.  Paul prayed that we would not only know this love, but actually experience it!

7.  Experiencing this depth of love leads to fullness of life.

Let's let the love of Christ be the controlling factor in how we live our lives to the fullest.






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