The other day I was mulling over some phrases from the apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In chapter 3, Paul records his prayer for the Ephesians and, nestled in the middle of his petition, I discovered a nice little paradox. Specifically, Paul prays that the Ephesian believers would be able to "know this love that surpasses knowledge."
Chewing on that phrase, I thought: "Now, how on earth is one supposed to know something that transcends knowledge?"
And, it hit me: "Well...duh! There is more than one way to know a thing, of course."
Sometimes, you can know a thing in your head; other times, you can know a thing in your heart. Some things "you just know, you know."
Like trying to describe heat, God's love defies precise description. But, while mental comprehension has its limits, experiential understanding knows no bounds. Sometimes, the best way to understand heat is to cup your hands close to the fire. Like that, God's love is best understood through taking a step of faith. Think of it as moving towards another in a gesture that indicates a desire for friendship. And, when one experiences--that is, when one knows--God's love in that way...well, then, you've come to know "the love that surpasses knowledge."
Ask yourself: "Am I merely content to know about God's love? Or do I really know God's love first-hand?"
Take some time to think about that now, because, believe it or not, even pastors (like me) need to be reminded that God longs to melt hearts with the gentle, bright flame of his grace.
To read the next nugget in this series, click here.
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