True love is a siren. A mythical creature that captivates us with her voice, alluring us to the notion that once we find her, we will be complete and fulfilled. Consequently, countless embark on an endless search, across valleys, mountains, and seas to discover this intangible love. However, in actuality, what we desire is to be fully seen and known. If we gaze past the fantasies we’ve concocted and our elusive definitions of love, we will find our yearning is deeper than what the world can quench. This rendition of true love is superficial and finite, and cannot fill the aching void inside each of us. However, agapē is a matchless, sacrificial form of love. Agapē is the love of God, who is love and his love is shown to us through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus (1 John 4). For this reason, agapē is the only love that can sufficiently fill our innate longing. Agapē is genuine true love.

In Ephesians 3:17-19, Paul gives us a striking depiction of agapē. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together, with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness.”

As the Lord’s holy people, we are rooted in the love of Christ. His love runs wide, long, high, and deep in mystifying ways. But through our faith in Jesus, our eyes are opened to know and experience (ginosko in Greek) this love individually.

The width of Christ’s love is a picture of the cross. Imagine his arms stretched wide, reaching out and spanning the ends of the earth. He desires all to be consumed by the transformational power of his expansive love (John 3:16).

Moreover, as the Psalmist reminds us, the steadfast love of Jesus endures forever (Psalm 136:26). It’s infinite and eternal. There is no end. 

His love isn’t bound to the confines of the earth. It stretches into the highest heavens, and reaches the right hand of the Father where the Son is seated, waiting for the day when he can return us home (Romans 8).

Christ relentlessly pursues us, finding us deep in our brokenness. He reaches down into our pit of despair, offers his right hand, and rescues us from the snares we’ve been enslaved (Luke 15; Psalm 40).

For many, due to past experiences, Christ’s love may sound too good to be true. You may believe you’re unworthy. Others may have convinced you; you’re shattered beyond repair. Or perhaps, your story mirrors mine, and abuse has marred your picture of love. In turn, this unconditional, bountiful love may seem difficult to grasp. Yet, nothing can separate us from his love. 

Agapē bends down, brushes off the mud and mire, lifts your chin restoring your dignity and honor and says, “Daughter, ‘I have called you by name, you are mine’” (Isaiah 43:1c; NIV). His love is one of adoption into sonship (Galatians 4). We were once slaves to sin, but now we are adopted daughters into a royal family. That’s Christ’s love; an outpouring and overflowing of the love of the Father who is love!

Can you sense it? Can you taste the depths of his love? Sister, do you know the power of this love? This is the love that moves mountains for you. This is the love that died in your place. This is the love that atones. This is the love that offers grace. This is the love that moved heaven and earth to be near you. While we could never reach the heights or the depths of his love, we can allow him to lavish us and then pour this same love onto others. As the Lord’s holy people, love is our primary calling: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35; NIV).

As Christ followers, our hearts and minds are opened to the reality of agapē because we are recipients. In response, our mission is to reciprocally show others this same love. Once we have tasted this beautiful gift for ourselves, we must live from the overflow of our spirit, so it bubbles up and runs over full in measure- touching every soul we meet, so they too- can ginosko this perfect love that we have been lavished with through Christ’s blood. That’s the true heart of the Father.

- Kierstin Almstrum, ARISE Director of Online Operations and Project Management