I have a Friend, whose faithful love

APPREHENDING THE BREADTH AND LENGTH AND HEIGHT AND DEPTH OF CHRIST WITH ALL THE SAINTS

When we are rooted and grounded in His love, we also are full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth of the universe are (v. 18). The immeasurable breadth and length and height and depth of the universe are the dimensions of our loving Christ. We can never exhaust what He is in our experience of Him. The more we experience Him, the more we sense His infinite richness. He is unlimited; He is the breadth and length and height and depth.

Once we are rooted and grounded in His love, we cannot remain individualistic; we need all the saints to apprehend the riches of Christ. The more we experience Christ and let Christ make His home in our hearts, the more we sense a need for the members, the Body. We often speak of the Body life, but the Body life cannot come through compulsion or teaching. It comes when our spirit is strengthened by receiving the riches of Christ and when we allow Christ to make His home in our hearts. This, in turn, roots us and grounds us in His love. When this is our experience, we are spontaneously joined to the brothers and sisters. It is possible to be an individualistic member in Christianity, but it is not possible to be a proper brother or a sister in the church and remain individualistic. We must be with all the saints. This is God’s economy.

The Consummation of God's Salvation

Chapter 6 CWWL, 1972, vol. 3 (LSM)

Thank you for loving us, Lord! For seeking me and finding me! Thank you for saving me, Lord! I'll praise You evermore! Blessed be His name.

The gospel of Jesus put in poetic verse. A brother named Chris in our church some years ago, wrote beautiful new music to this. I hope and pray he carried on in the Lord when he left us.

Lord, you are above everything, and worthy of all the praises.

I wads greatly troubled in my youth with continuing on when I read the Hymn I Can Face Tomorrow Because He Lives, ,, ,, ,, and I couldn't face tomorrow ! I sat and flipped through the Hymnal and found a hymn "I have a friend whose faithful love means more than all the world to me.......... It as a poem has been a constant encouragement to me and I intend to have it read as a poem at my funeral

Oh I have found a friend whose faithful love is all the world to me. Reference verse 2. This really touched me this morning. This is straight out of Philippians chapter 2. His love even His mind is presented to us by His willingness to lay down the position the father gave Him. This love is a self denying love. He was very God yet He was willing to come as lowly man and suffer and die, even suffering great unrighteousness, He was faithful to the death. As long as I live my song, even my heart, will tell the wonders of His dying love. I want this experience to be mine. Oh Lord I love you because you first loved me!

If you’re looking for a wonderful hymn on the Lord’s sacrificing love for the church, this is it.

While in the storm the disciples said to the Lord, "Does it not matter to you that we are perishing" The Lord arose and made the winds to cease and spoke to them, "Why are you cowardly in this way? How is it that you do not have faith?"

When we fail to have faith in the faithful one we become weak and cowardly. We must trust that He is our faithful friend. Thank you Lord for Your faithful love to us. You sought, you found, you saved, and Lord you keep. Keep us Lord.

He loved me! He sought me! He found me! He saved me! I’ll praise Him! Blessed be His name!

Jesus Christ the name above all names. Blessed be His name!
He gave all for the Church.
Let the earth RING WITH PRAISES TO HIM.