Smarter than Smart
You remember that game, "What's grosser than gross?"
Of course you do. It's a rite of passage for elementary school. I had a queasy stomach as a kid and I would make my way as far from the Grosser than Gross game when I heard it start.
So I have a more mature, less disgusting version: What's Smarter than Smart?
I've been all over what it takes to have Smart Love (and even More Smart Love) the past few posts. And I thought I was done.
Until I came across this verse yesterday:
"I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:17-19, HCSB
I've had this scripture memorized for YEARS. And it's never hit me like this before.
That Greek word for comprehend is also translated "grasp," (NIV) and means "to obtain, attain, take hold of, seize, overtake, understand, realize, find out."
It's the same word in Philippians 3:12, where Paul says, "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Paul knows that Jesus overtook him, understood him, found him out. Jesus appeared to Paul on the road, blinded him, spoke to him, and set him on a new path. Paul never had to wonder God's plan, who saved him, or where he was going. And for the rest of his life, Paul made it his goal to take hold of this same Jesus that had taken hold of him.
And that's exactly what we do with God's love: we grasp it. Seize it. Overtake it. And when we catch it and get to know it, we understand it. Realize it. Really get to know it.
Because when we grasp God's love, we see the love of Jesus.
And the love of Jesus is so much smarter than smart.
"to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge..."
The love of Jesus is more than we can know. You can spend your whole life trying to grasp it, but you'll never really understand it fully.
But let's dare to try.
Paul prayed that the church in Ephesus would KNOW how big God's love was so that they would KNOW that the love of Jesus was more than they could ever understand.
The psalmists understood this concept:
"How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!" (Psalm 36:7)
"Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love," (Psalm 48:9)
"Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love," (Psalm 109:26)
The men who wrote the Psalms realized they could never fully grasp God's love. But they wanted to get as much of it as they could.
YOU. CAN. TOO.
Get to know His love by getting to know Him in the one way you can do it well: His Word.
Read it.
Love it.
Meditate on it.
Say it.
Sing it.
Study it.
Discuss it.
Memorize it.
Apply it.
LIVE IT.
And when you are able to just barely comprehend the depth of His love, you'll realize it's so much bigger than you ever though. Wider than you can see. Longer than you can swim. Higher than you can climb.
More love than you'll ever need.
God's love is HUGE.
Bigger than big.
Smarter than smart.
See if you can grasp it!
A little more details on the High School/College Girls Bible Study: I'm thinking the Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday of Memorial Day (May 26-29). We'll meet for an hour or so each morning (location TBA) and I'll give you enough stuff to spend all afternoon in God's Word. YOU WILL BE CHANGED. Please let me know if you'll be there. PM me on Twitter (@leslienotebook) or send me an email (myleslienotebook@gmail.com) or text me.
Of course you do. It's a rite of passage for elementary school. I had a queasy stomach as a kid and I would make my way as far from the Grosser than Gross game when I heard it start.
So I have a more mature, less disgusting version: What's Smarter than Smart?
I've been all over what it takes to have Smart Love (and even More Smart Love) the past few posts. And I thought I was done.
Until I came across this verse yesterday:
"I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:17-19, HCSB
I've had this scripture memorized for YEARS. And it's never hit me like this before.
That Greek word for comprehend is also translated "grasp," (NIV) and means "to obtain, attain, take hold of, seize, overtake, understand, realize, find out."
It's the same word in Philippians 3:12, where Paul says, "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Paul knows that Jesus overtook him, understood him, found him out. Jesus appeared to Paul on the road, blinded him, spoke to him, and set him on a new path. Paul never had to wonder God's plan, who saved him, or where he was going. And for the rest of his life, Paul made it his goal to take hold of this same Jesus that had taken hold of him.
And that's exactly what we do with God's love: we grasp it. Seize it. Overtake it. And when we catch it and get to know it, we understand it. Realize it. Really get to know it.
Because when we grasp God's love, we see the love of Jesus.
And the love of Jesus is so much smarter than smart.
"to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge..."
The love of Jesus is more than we can know. You can spend your whole life trying to grasp it, but you'll never really understand it fully.
But let's dare to try.
Paul prayed that the church in Ephesus would KNOW how big God's love was so that they would KNOW that the love of Jesus was more than they could ever understand.
The psalmists understood this concept:
"How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!" (Psalm 36:7)
"Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love," (Psalm 48:9)
"Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love," (Psalm 109:26)
The men who wrote the Psalms realized they could never fully grasp God's love. But they wanted to get as much of it as they could.
YOU. CAN. TOO.
Get to know His love by getting to know Him in the one way you can do it well: His Word.
Read it.
Love it.
Meditate on it.
Say it.
Sing it.
Study it.
Discuss it.
Memorize it.
Apply it.
LIVE IT.
And when you are able to just barely comprehend the depth of His love, you'll realize it's so much bigger than you ever though. Wider than you can see. Longer than you can swim. Higher than you can climb.
More love than you'll ever need.
God's love is HUGE.
Bigger than big.
Smarter than smart.
See if you can grasp it!
A little more details on the High School/College Girls Bible Study: I'm thinking the Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday of Memorial Day (May 26-29). We'll meet for an hour or so each morning (location TBA) and I'll give you enough stuff to spend all afternoon in God's Word. YOU WILL BE CHANGED. Please let me know if you'll be there. PM me on Twitter (@leslienotebook) or send me an email (myleslienotebook@gmail.com) or text me.
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