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(James Smith,
"The Love of Christ! The Fullness, Freeness, and Immutability of the
Savior's Grace Displayed!")
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's
people should--how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you
experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand
fully!" Ephesians 3:18-19
The love of Christ is an infinite love--its heights and
depths, its breadths and lengths--surpass our knowledge! The whole of His
nature and perfections are thrown into His love, therefore He is said to BE
LOVE. He cannot love His people more than He does--nor will He love them less!
Until we can comprehend infinity and measure eternity--we cannot know the love of Christ
to perfection.
Love in us--rules us; just so, the infinite love of Jesus,
rules Him. All that He has ever purposed, promised, or performed for His
people--has flowed from this ocean of
divine love! He is a globe of love--without beginning or end! He is a sea of
love--without fault of defect! Only an infinite intellect can grasp Christ's
love--only eternity is sufficient to reveal it to our minds. Christ's love will
be always unfolding--but never be fully unfolded. It will be always
displaying--but never be fully displayed. We may stand in the center and
endeavor to follow its lines--but Christ's love defies our powers, and drowns
our thoughts in its immensity!
Christ's love can never be diverted from its objects; it is
immutably fixed upon them--and remains fixed forever! Had it been possible to
have turned its current, it would have been done long ago; but it is still the
river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God.
Having loved His own--He loves them unto the very end. Nothing
present or future, above or below--can ever separate believers from the love of
Jesus!
On this rock they rest--amidst all the storms of life!
In this fortress they hide--when dangers of every kind surround
them!
At this fountain they live--when every creature-stream is
dried up!
No love is unchangeable--but the love of Jesus! His love is
like the great mountains, and abides forever firm!
O believer, admire and adore! Jesus continues to love you--amidst
all your coldness, darkness, and proneness to wander; therefore He restores
your soul and causes you to walk in the paths of righteousness. Satan may
harass and accuse you, the world may frown upon and persecute you--but Jesus
rests in His love, and rejoices over you with singing!
And amidst all the changes which we feel within and without,
we ask with holy Paul, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship
or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" And with him we
reply, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him
who loved us. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love.
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today
nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of Hell, can separate us
from God's love! No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed,
nothing in all creation--will ever be able to separate us from the love of God
that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord!"
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