Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 3:14-21 (day five)
“may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,”
This week I have the privilege of being with over 50 of our adults in Branson, Missouri. I can tell you we have had fun- no doubt. AND, we have grown closer to God. Paul helps us understand how and why this happens. When we are together with other believers what begins to happen as we love, encourage, and serve each other is that we see, hear, and sense how the Lord works in the hearts and lives of His saints. When we are together, we get a bigger/better picture and clearer understanding of God- how He works, gifts, and blesses others. We hear it in testimonies as we listen to each other’s stories and experiences. We see it as we serve, encourage, and fellowship with each other. The love of God has too many facets for us to see on our own. We get to witness and learn so many more dimensions of His love when we are with other believers. That’s why gathering as the Body of Christ for worship and in smaller groups to study the Scriptures, fellowship, and serve together is so critical. God’s love is more grand and glorious than we can know by ourselves. It takes being with other believers to understand that He saves, uses, and blesses others in ways we might otherwise never hear, see, or sense. That is part of the testimony of our group this week in Branson. We have grown closer to God because we have seen and heard of His great love from each other.
“We can’t easily fathom his love on our own.”- Richard Coekin
Your post reminds of this quote from C. S. Lewis’ “The Four Loves”:
“In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s [Tolkien’s] reaction to a specifically Charles joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him ‘to myself’ now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald. Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, ‘Here comes one who will augment our loves.’”