"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19).

Knowing the love of Christ is well beyond man's mere intellect. So how is it then that we "May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height" (Ephesians 3:18) of His love?

God provides two very straightforward answers to this question. The first is obedience. "But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected" (I John 2:5). Somehow, through simple submission, God perfects His love in us as He carries it out to completion.

Secondly, we discover God's love through loving others. "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us" (I John 4:12). God desires that we "love one another: for love is of God" (I John 4:7).

We should always keep in mind that "We love Him, because He first loved us" (I John 4:19). In other words, we are merely responders to the very author of love who instigated this loving relationship in the first place. Our obedient response is the evidence that we have His love, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (I John 5:3). The manifestation of God's love through us is a witness to all mankind that "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

Evidentially our ability to comprehend the love of the Lord directly relates to our reaction to His. The more we surrender our hearts in obedience and demonstrate love to others, the more God allows us to grasp the enormity of Christ's love. Our Lord Jesus clearly explained this to us when He said, "he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). MDR