Love that Governs

God's love is greater than man's comprehension.  Yet in His grace God has demonstrated His great love for us through the willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  It is a love so profound and limitless, that if it had size it would extend beyond the known universe.  God's love is deeper than an ocean, more powerful than the crushing weight of the greatest waterfalls.  About 70% of the earth is covered with water, and very little of it has actually been explored.  The best most of us do is roll up our pants and get our feet wet.  When it comes to God's love, the same could be said.  We can swim out a little into it, but to plumb the depths from our vantage point is impossible.

In preparing for a sermon this week, I was reminded of a post written years ago called "The Ligament of Love."  Love is the indispensable bond of perfection in the Body of Christ.  This week I was treated to another practical example of God's love in our lives.  For a few years, I worked at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego as a private contractor.  Here is a picture of one of the ships I worked on in the NASSCO dry dock, known as "the floater" (by the way, I am not in the picture!):

In the picture, the propellers and rudders of the ship can be clearly seen.  The movement of the propellers drives the ship forward and the rudder allows the vessel to be safely navigated.  Whilst looking at this picture, I was reminded how Christ is intended to be "at the helm" of every Christian's life.  The propellers represent the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit who moves us according to Christ's leading.  As I thought about it, the rudder of a ship is a wonderful picture of the role of Christ's love in our lives.  We are to walk in love, our every action being governed by it.  A ship without a rudder would be adrift and ultimately end in disaster, and Paul says that without love we are nothing.  This ship could be loaded with all the riches imaginable but could never reach the intended port without a rudder.  In the same way, the love of Christ provides resistance to the currents of this world and even the leanings of our flesh so we can fulfill the perfect will of our Captain - who is Christ.

How important it is we keep our rudder in the water!  It is imperative we learn to walk in love, being guided by Christ in everything.  Only then will we be useable by our Saviour, regardless of the talents or treasures we have been bountifully granted by Him.  Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  May the love of Christ compel us to walk in the manner that fully pleases Him.