A Ruler (the kind you measure with!)

Ephesians 3:18

Have you ever reached for a ruler to measure something only to find it was too short for the job?  Yup, me too.  Ultimately you end up at the hardware store buying the longest tape measure available so no matter what comes your way you've got the tool to handle it.  However, there are some things that you'll never have a big enough measuring stick for.  Take the ocean for example.  Just try the next time you go on a cruise to drag your measuring tape behind the boat to see how far you've gone.  Not gonna work.  No way, no how.  Well the apostle Paul also found something that a ruler is just not made to handle, although he prayed that we as followers of Jesus might come to know it.  In Ephesians 3:18 he prays that we "may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how wide and how long and high and deep is the love of Christ."  Put the poor ruler away, it doesn't stand a chance at this measurement.  It's quite a tall order for us to be able to understand the kind of love Christ has for us.  A love that left the splendor of heaven for a stable, a life of glory to be a carpenter, and a crown for a cross.  I stand in awe of that and fall to the ground over that and fumble for the words to say about that.  Perhaps, that's the conclusion Paul wanted us to come to.  When have you experienced a love so great, so perfect, so unending, so vast, that no word in our vocabulary could come close to defining it?  The desire of the Lord is to pour that out on you beyond measure!  How does that make you feel?  Overwhelmed?  Overjoyed?  How does that make you evaluate your worth?  Allow that to soak in for a moment.  Are you feeling the way I am about now - ready to worship?  I'm glad it's almost church time.  I pray that whenever you use a ruler now, you'll think of the immeasurable love Christ has for you!