Imagine the distance from where you stand now measured to the edge of the known universe. If you could somehow travel at the speed of light, it would take 46 and a half BILLION years to complete the journey! How high is His love for us? “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:11).
Now picture yourself writing down everything wrong you have ever done. If each transgression was written on a piece of paper, how high would the stack go? Listen to the words of one prophet: “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.” (Ezra 9:6). As high as His love is, so is our guilt! But there is good news! God’s love is WIDE. How wide is the love of God? “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
More than a matter of making “mistakes”, we were enemies of God. “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” (Romans 8:7). How much does He love us? He loves us more than we ever hated Him! “For if when we were still enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:10).
Now, in your mind, transport yourself to the garden where Jesus prayed before His death. Here, He fully accepted the task to love us in the ultimate sense: laying down His life so that we could have eternal life. Was this a light task of love? Listen to Him pray: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:42-44). How much does He love us? More than His own life!
How much does the Father love His Son Jesus? Consider God’s thundering words that poured out of heaven when Jesus was baptized: “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” (Matthew 3:17). These are the words of a proud Papa, a doting Daddy who prizes His Son above all other pursuits. Three years later, as Christ marched toward the aforementioned garden the night before His death, He prayed that we would know, “[…] that You [God] have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23). How much does God love us? As much as He loves His own Son!
What do you fear? Death? Demons? Evil leaders and powerful enemies? Dangers, present or future? Natural disasters, sickness, calamity, or a world moving faster than you can keep up with? There is a lot working against us! How much does He love you? More than anything that wants to take you down! “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any
other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).
How much does He love us? 100 terabytes may be a conservative estimate of how much information the human mind can contain. That is equal to 3.3 MILLION books! Now, imagine a library containing over three million books. Every one of them contains different expressions of how much God loves you, the ways He loves you, and the ways He will love you. After gazing in awe and just beginning to page through a few books, you notice a door. You walk through it only to discover the next room has just as many books as the first! And on it goes, one room after another. How much does He love us? Paul prayed for one group of believers that they might, “[…] be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height– to know the love of Christ which passes comprehension; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19).
How much does He love us? I can’t begin to say. But know this: “His grace is ENOUGH.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).