Andrea Sieberhagen
… to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19, NIV
If we know God’s love, is it possible to keep that knowledge only for ourselves? If we are filled with the fullness of God, should we not overflow with it? Should this wonderful truth not spill over to everyone around us, so that they too would become aware and truly touched by the love of God?
If his love is so great, would it not be selfish not to share it?
Full, fuller, fullest – how full can full be? If we are filled with the fullness of God, sharing his love with others will never leave us “empty”! On the contrary, sharing God’s love only makes us more aware of the fullness within us … and if we allow it to, that fullness only grows more and more, until it cannot help but overflow to others.
And in this way, you share “showers of blessing”.
You will find that something also happens within you, because when you share and it means something to someone else, you yourself can never remain untouched. Then those unusual degrees of comparison become a reality, you put all grammar rules aside and surrender to the superlative of God’s fullness, because you know that he is in you, around you, and part of you!
Prayer:
May I, with all who believe,
come to understand this truth,
for God’s limitless love
is meant for every person.
Andrea Sieberhagen
Mag julle sy liefde ken, liefde wat ons verstand te bowe gaan, en mag julle heeltemal vervul word met die volheid van God. Efesiërs 3:19, 1983-vertaling
As ons dan God se liefde ken – is dit moontlik om die kennis net vir onsself te hou? As ons dan vervul is met die volheid van God – moet ons dan nie oorloop daarvan nie?
Moet hierdie wonderlike kennis nie oorspoel na almal rondom ons, sodat hulle ook bewus word en werklik aangeraak word deur die liefde van God nie?
As sy liefde so groot is sou dit nie baie selfsugtig wees om dit nie te deel nie?
Vol voller volste? Hoe vol kan vol wees? As ons gevul is met die volheid van God gaan die deel daarvan met ander mense ons definitief nie skielik “leeg” maak nie! Inteendeel! Nee! Om God se liefde te deel beteken net dat jy meer bewus word van die volheid binne in jou en dat indien moontlik, daardie volheid net meer en meer word tot jy nie anders kan as om dit te laat oorvloei na jou medemens toe nie!
En op dié manier deel jy dan “strome van seën”!
Dan sal jy vind dat daar ook iets binne jouself gebeur, want om te deel en iets vir iemand anders te beteken laat 'n mens in jouself nooit onaangeraak nie. Dan word die onwaarskynlike trappe van vergelyking vir jou 'n werklikheid. Dan gooi jy alle taalreëls oorboord en gee jou oor aan die oortreffende trap van die volheid van God want jy weet Hy is in jou, om jou en deel van jou!
Gebed:
Mag ek saam met almal wat glo
hierdie waarheid leer verstaan
want sy liefde sonder grense
is bedoel vir alle mense.
Andrea Sieberhagen
… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:17-18, NIV
When Christ lives in your heart, it means he is your source of strength. When you are plugged into the right source of faith, others should be able to see the difference in your life. They should sense the presence of Christ in you.
When you are rooted and established in love, you are anchored securely, and no storm can uproot you. And in this imperfect world, we as believers are often struck by storms. A fierce wind could turn your finances upside down, a heavy downpour may wash the love out of your marriage, and a lightning strike could take away your health in a moment.
Like a tree, you will only remain standing in a storm if you have a strong root system. That is what your faith must be for you. Through the wind and the rain and the lightning, you must be able to hold onto your faith, faith that is all-encompassing. It must not exclude any part of your life, because Christ’s love is all-encompassing. It is wide and long and high and deep – limitless. It surrounds you completely and protects you from the storms of life. With this love around you and faith in your heart, you can overcome any crisis.
Prayer:
May Christ come live within my heart
so that those who look at me
may see how far faith reaches,
and all who cross my path
may feel the difference
that love makes.
Andrea Sieberhagen
… dat Christus deur die geloof in julle harte sal woon en dat julle in die liefde gewortel en gegrondves sal wees. Mag julle saam met al die gelowiges begryp hoe wyd en ver en hoog en diep die liefde van Christus strek. Efesiërs 3:17-18, 1983-vertaling
As Christus in jou hart woon beteken dit dat Hy jou bron van krag is. As jy dan so by die regte kragbron van geloof ingeprop is moet ander mense die verskil in jou lewe kan sien. Hulle moet die teenwoordigheid van Christus in jou lewe kan aanvoel.
As jy in die liefde gewortel en gegrondves is, anker dit jou stewig en kan geen storm jou ontwortel nie. En in hierdie onvolmaakte wêreld word ons as gelowiges dikwels deur storms geteister. 'n Sterk wind kan jou finansies heeltemal deurmekaar waai, 'n harde bui reën mag die liefde uit jou huwelik wegspoel en 'n weerligstraal mag binne 'n oomblik jou gesondheid wegneem.
Soos 'n boom sal jy net in 'n storm bly staan as jy 'n stewige wortelstelsel het. Dit is wat jou geloof vir jou moet wees. Deur die wind en die reën en die weerligstrale heen moet jy kan vashou aan jou geloof. Geloof wat allesomvattend moet wees. Dit moet geen aspek van jou lewe uitsluit nie, want Christus se liefde is allesomvattend. Dis wyd en ver en hoog en diep. Sonder enige beperkinge. Dit omvou jou heeltemal en beskerm jou teen die storms van die lewe. Met hierdie liefde oral om jou en die geloof in jou hart, kan jy enige krisis te bowe kom.
Gebed:
Mag Christus in my hart kom woon
sodat elkeen wat na my kyk
sal weet hoe ver geloof kan reik
sodat elkeen wat my lewe raak
die verskil sal voel
wat liefde maak.