Deeper Still

This morning, I listened to a song titled ‘How Deep The Father's Love For Us; it goes beyond all measure.’ The word of God boldly declares that our Creator profoundly loves us. Humans have tried to capture that love in a poem, a song, a book, a painting, a message on a t-shirt, or a billboard. We hear it in sermons, podcasts, and YouTube videos. We read it in flyers, blogs, tracks, or websites. Movie makers spend millions of dollars trying to convey Christ's profound, unimaginable, and totally undeserved love for us. So, you name it, we've tried it, and we keep trying. We want people to know how much the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit love us. Why? Because love will always try to find a way to express itself. Yet, there are no words ever to adequately express Christ's love. Still, there is a longing to try, now knowing the limitations of our efforts.

The LORD gives us a picture in His word of Jesus in a borrowed crib to the cross. He bids us to allow our senses, the gateways into our brains, to take in what is before us: His love in its purest form, undefiled and unveiled. He tells us to take our time and not to hurry so that all of our senses- our eyes, our noses, our ears, our mouths, and our hands- are fully and intently engaged in experiencing His profound love. The Bible is full of how the LORD uses our senses to teach us about Himself. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good… Psalms 34. How sweet are Thy words unto my taste. Psalm 119. Out of heaven, He made thee to hear His voice. Deuteronomy 4. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. Proverb 20. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. Psalms 29. Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. Isaiah 59.

There is no way to be satisfied with only a glimpse or a small taste of Christ's love. We long to hear His voice and to smell His fragrance. Solomon declared Christ to be the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley. Why? Because He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Now, let your senses absorb this. It is said that not until you bruise or crush a flower’s petal can you truly smell its purest fragrance. This thought encourages us to take a deep breath and inhale Christ’s fragrance, reminding us that there is so much more about Him that boggles the mind.

We will indeed need to spend eternity face-to-face with our Savior, and still, it will not be enough time to grasp the truth of God's love. When we think we have reached the depths of His love, it goes deeper still. We must study the love of God. We must know the love of God. To truly embrace His love, we must be intentional and deliberate- not just once, but daily. Depending on what you're going through, it may be moment by moment.

Did you know that our past, present, and future were His journey? Our names were written on the cross, a cross meant for us. Jesus set His heart on finishing our race, and nothing or no one would stop Him from climbing that hill called Calvary. Our sins were so great that He stumbled beneath them. Oh, how deep the Father's love is for us! It goes far beyond any measure and our ability to comprehend it. And no matter what you are going through now, I promise you God's love is much bigger and deeper than we will ever know.

Let me share what depression is, and I mention this because I suspect someone in this room may be experiencing some form of depression; it could be the season, perhaps you are coping with a recent loss, and it’s just difficult. When we are depressed, we tend to devalue our past, present, and future. We replay in our minds thoughts that are probably not accurate. We dwell on negative perceptions about ourselves or others. But here's the point: Christ came to show that everything about you is significant to Him, so regardless of what you are facing, including your past and present, He calls you and me to stand on the truth that we are deeply loved.

If we choose Him today, right now, and continue to choose Christ, He will ensure that we won’t perish. The challenges you’re facing will not crush you. They will not swallow you up. They will not destroy you because Christ will not allow it. Right now, Jesus is proclaiming His love for you.

When we read John 3:16, I wonder if we truly understand what the Father has done. The Father faced a decision: allow guilty us to perish or send His Son to die. He chose you. He chose me over His Son. Yes. I can imagine the Father asking Himself, should I keep My Son here with Me, or send Him to His death? Therefore, the very thing you are struggling with right now is the reason He came.

The Father observed His Son. He watched Jesus rise from the throne and exit the most holy place, stepping out of eternity. He saw Jesus with a determined expression, knowing that nothing would prevent Him from finding the cross to exchange your name for His.

Park your life beside the cross. Why? The Father knew that it would take His Son's life, His Son’s death, and His Son's intercession to save us. So, stand in and on the truth- a truth that wipes away all our sadness, losses, disappointments, tears, heartaches, and discouragement. Stand firm. And when you have done all that you can do and believe the truth about Christ's love for you, take your stand and continue standing. Why? Because there is no hurt, past, illness, disappointment, failure, fear, or loss so deep that Christ’s love is not deeper still.