~* O THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE OF JESUS *~
S. Trevor Francis, 1834-1925
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
Who can fully grasp the dimensions of God's great love for us?
Yet the Scriptures teach that we are to have a growing
awareness of divine love. Love is the very heart and essence
of God, not only for the lovely but for the vilest of sinners.
Christ did not die merely to display God's love--He died
because God is love (I John 4:8). If the New Testament teaches
us anything, it teaches us about God's love in searching for
the lost. Becoming a Christian in a very real sense is simply
putting ourselves in the way of being found by God--to stop
running from His loving pursuit, to turn and embrace Him and His plan for our eternal salvation.
As we mature in the Christian faith, we begin to realize that
every situation that comes our way is an opportunity for God's
love to be made more evident in our lives. Once we realize
this, our attitude changes dramatically toward suffering people
as well as toward ourselves when we are called to suffer. Then
even during those times when our spiritual fervor declines and
our devotion to God is tested, despite shortcomings in our
walk, God's love remains unfailing--continually working for our
eternal good.
The author of this text, S. Trevor Francis, was a prominent lay
leader with the Plymouth Brethren in England and was known as
an effective devotional speaker throughout Great Britain and
around the world.
[JMS: This has been a favorite hymn of mine for many, many years,
for it was the love of my Saviour that drew me to the point of salvation.
I included this beautiful, God-honoring hymn text in the second of my book series:
Our Refuge].
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward
to Thy glorious rest above!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones,
died to call us all His own;
How for us He intercedeth,
watcheth o’er us from the throne!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing,
’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
’tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
And it lifts me up to Glory,
for it lifts me up to Thee!
*For Today*: Romans 5:8, 8:35-39; Ephesians 3:14-20; I John 4:8; Revelation 1:5 & 6
Ask God to enlarge your understanding of His great love and the
ability to share it with others.
Music url: The Cyber Hymnal
Taken from Amazing Grace -- 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions © Copyright 1990 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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