Deeper and Wider part 4
Here's what I think it comes down to: "Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart'" (John 7:38 NLT). See, some people are content to float on the surface. And I really do think that's ok. Because we're not always ready--or able--to hold our breath long enough to get down deep. And the scraps certainly ARE better than nothing. But there's so much more available. We don't have to settle for what's on the surface. We can, in fact, let the rivers (plural) flow out of our hearts! That, to me, is even more than flowing IN the rivers. Its knowing that we ARE the rivers! Not just living IN the Kingdom, but knowing that we ARE the Kingdom! There's an entire six course meal available to us. And it is, in truth, the only thing that can satisfy us. But my point for this Rant series is that you can go as deep as you want to go. Now let me qualify that remark: I once heard someone say, "You can be as close to God as you want to be." But the truth is, you can't get any closer to God than you are right now. He lives in you. The truth of the matter is, you can be as close to God as you realize you are. You can enjoy the gift of God (which is eternal life, which is knowing the only true God and the One He sent) only as much as you've received it. You can't give what you don't have, right? And you can only give what you do have? You can only enjoy the gift that you've received. And, in my opinion, the best way to receive that gift is by releasing it. Sharing it. Giving it away. And there's the rub. One of my favorite passages of Scripture goes like this, "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:16-19). Its that comprehension of love. And I'm not convinced we will ever be able to FULLY comprehend it. Because it just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Wider and Wider. Better and better. And the way we truly comprehend the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of His love... is by loving each other. The way we go deeper and wider is when the rivers flow out of us from within us. When we let God love us so much that His love overflows out of us. Naturally. We experience the gift by giving it away. We experience love by loving people. And that's where "with all the saints" comes in. Because love isn't really real until it manifests as charity--love in action. One person loving another person. That's what it means for the Word to be made flesh. That's what life is all about. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. They aren't just connected. They are the same thing. And the more we learn how we ARE loved by God... the more we CAN love each other. The deeper we go, the deeper we find that we CAN go. God's love is deep and wide. That's why knowing His love is a knowledge that passes knowledge. Its not head knowledge. Its heart knowledge! REAL knowledge. Deep and wide knowledge!