There are many things that can “fill us up.” Fried chicken can fill one up. Marital love can fill one up. Our vocation in life can often come pretty close to filling us up in several ways.
The apostle Paul had a wish for the members of the church at Ephesus. He wrote, “That you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19b). One might achieve that by learning the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ, which, he said, surpasses knowledge.
The cube is a perfect structure. Perhaps that’s why in the Temple, the Holy of Holies, was meant to serve as a place for God’s presence. It was a cube, an object that has four equal sides.
Perhaps Paul asks us to look at Christ’s love that way and view it from all sides. Certainly, delineating the love of Christ would take more space than this magazine can hold! Let’s look at four sides.
Christ’s love is so long it encompasses all time. How long will Jesus love us? There is no end to his love because there is no end to him. He has pledged to continue with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
How deep is Christ’s love? It is so strong no outside power can separate us from it. While we can separate ourselves from him, no one else — no other power — can (Romans 8:38-39).
How high is Christ’s love? I often wonder what it would be like to climb Mt. Everest, almost 30,000 ft. above sea level. Christ’s love is so strong that he came down here to Earth, lived, and died as a man so that we might go to heaven one day.
To what lengths did Christ go to save sinful humans? Can we start with his birth, life, teachings, suffering, and death on the cross? Would that cover it? No. There is so much more.
He loves you and wants to save you. You must start by obeying the gospel and living a life of faithful service to him. Why not begin today?
John Henson