That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19
Every year when canning season comes around, I get excited. If you love home-canned fruit as I do, you know the feeling of looking at loaded fruit trees and thinking, The empty jars must be filled!
When it is time to pull last year’s jars out of storage, sometimes they are dirty with dust, spiders, and cobwebs. The first thing one must do is wash them in hot, soapy water to get rid of the grime. Next, the jars should be sterilized, and it is not enough to just run them through the dishwasher. That water will not get hot enough to completely disinfect. They must be set under boiling water to ensure that no bacteria remaining inside will be able to grow back over time, ruining the fruit of our labor. Finally, the jars are ready to be filled!
This process is a perfect reminder of how God works with us spiritually. When we first bring our hearts to Him, they are full of sins from the past—dirt that needs to be gotten rid of. He washes our hearts with Jesus’ Blood and we are beautifully cleaned inside and out. Next comes sterilization; jars have to be disinfected, and Christians must be purified too. God wants us to return to Him for sanctification, a second application of Jesus’ Blood. This will take out the root of sin that could grow back, as bacteria would in a fruit jar. Then we are ready to be “filled with all the fulness of God.” The Holy Spirit comes to abide in our hearts, empowering us to be used mightily by Him.
It feels good to have our hearts cleansed, but God has more for us after salvation. Sanctification is a wonderful blessing, and His love for us is greater still—He wants our hearts to be a dwelling place for His Holy Spirit. To comprehend the “breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of His love, we will have to seek and experience it for ourselves. He is searching for hearts that are willing to be washed, purified, and filled. Are we willing?