Oh How I Love Thee! (#10)

As we kicked off this series with the first line of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, let me now share it in its entirety as we make a shift toward focusing on our response to God’s great love.

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
HOW do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
-- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
[Source: “ The Great Minds Library” CD, 1997 Intellection, Inc]

God looks upon us -- “How do I love you? Let me help you count the ways.”

Oh, how much He loves us! Oh, the many ways He has revealed His love for us! How could we ever possibly question His love? God so desires for us to know that love!

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians brethren was this:
“(14) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, (16) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, (17) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith -- that you, being rooted and GROUNDED IN LOVE, (18) may have strength to COMPREHEND with all the saints what is THE BREADTH and LENGTH and HEIGHT and DEPTH, (19) and to know THE LOVE OF CHRIST THAT SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” ( Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV)

God is love ( I John 4:8) and He has loved us with every aspect of His Being! As we acknowledge how great God’s love is for us we then need to consider how we are responding to that love.

Jesus stated the greatest command as this:
“And you shall LOVE the Lord your God with ALL YOUR HEART and with all your SOUL and with all your MIND and with all your STRENGTH.” ( Mark 12:30 ESV)

As God has loved us with the DEPTH, BREADTH, and HEIGHT of His Being, His desire is for us to respond with love in the same way. If we have truly come to know how WIDE, LONG, HIGH and DEEP the Lord’s love for us is then we will not be able to help ourselves from responding in like manner.

Have a great day responding to God with your WHOLE BEING!
Carl

-----------------
[This focus was originally sent 07/22/1999 (Edited some with passages changed to ESV)]

See other teEn-MAIL on Love