If you were given the opportunity to love people even more than you are now, you’d take it, right? Of course! Well, what if I told you that you can only give love to others to the extent that you have received love from God?
“I have received God’s love,” you say, “I know that God loves me enough to send His Son to die on the cross to save me from my sins so that I can have abundant life with Him both now and eternally!” But do you really know how God feels about you? Can you comprehend that your Heavenly Abba sees you as His precious child and wants to give you anything you ask him for in His name? Do you understand that Jesus loves you like a Bridegroom loves His Bride?
Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:19 that God’s love for us actually surpasses knowledge—it’s too great to fully understand. But that doesn’t mean it’s not something worth striving to understand. So how do we try to better comprehend this? Let's start with the love chapter—1 Corinthians 13.
God is patient—He never gives up on you or gets annoyed with your failures.
God is kind—He cares more for you than for Himself.
God does not envy—He is only righteously jealous for your heart to love Him because that is what is best for you.
God does not boast; He is not proud.
He is not rude—He actually has the most perfect manners. He doesn’t force Himself on anyone, but rather invites you to seek Him so He can draw near to you.
God is not self-seeking—He will always put your best interest first, even though you may not see it that way at first.
He is not easily angered—this ties directly in with patience. He understands your heart and He knows that you’re trying. He does not get angry with your brokenness. He understands so much better than anyone else.
God keeps no record of wrongs—when you give your life to Christ, you are forever regarded as holy, perfect, and blameless in His sight.
He does not delight in evil—it does not make Him happy to see you fall to Satan’s lies.
God rejoices with the truth—but it does make Him happy when you come to find truth in Him.
God will always protect you. He will always trust your heart. He will always hope in your goodness. He will keep on fighting for you.
God is kind—He cares more for you than for Himself.
God does not envy—He is only righteously jealous for your heart to love Him because that is what is best for you.
God does not boast; He is not proud.
He is not rude—He actually has the most perfect manners. He doesn’t force Himself on anyone, but rather invites you to seek Him so He can draw near to you.
God is not self-seeking—He will always put your best interest first, even though you may not see it that way at first.
He is not easily angered—this ties directly in with patience. He understands your heart and He knows that you’re trying. He does not get angry with your brokenness. He understands so much better than anyone else.
God keeps no record of wrongs—when you give your life to Christ, you are forever regarded as holy, perfect, and blameless in His sight.
He does not delight in evil—it does not make Him happy to see you fall to Satan’s lies.
God rejoices with the truth—but it does make Him happy when you come to find truth in Him.
God will always protect you. He will always trust your heart. He will always hope in your goodness. He will keep on fighting for you.
Let these words wash over you. Drink deeply of God’s unfailing love. Ask Him to reveal more of His heart to you. Ask for you to be able to more fully understand how much He loves you. Ask Him to drive away any of Satan’s lies that tell you otherwise. Tell Him you want to receive more of His love so you can pass it onto others.
Prayer:
Abba, we pray the words of Ephesians 3:16-19 that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower us with inner strength through Your Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in our hearts as we trust in You. Our roots will grow down deep into God’s love and keep us strong. Abba, may we have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May we experience the love of Christ, thought it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. We want to love others more God, but we need to know more of Your love for us first. Continue to reveal more of Yourself to us, and teach us to discern Satan’s lies so we can drive them out before they take root. Let us hear your voice alone, Abba. Amen
Abba, we pray the words of Ephesians 3:16-19 that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower us with inner strength through Your Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in our hearts as we trust in You. Our roots will grow down deep into God’s love and keep us strong. Abba, may we have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May we experience the love of Christ, thought it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. We want to love others more God, but we need to know more of Your love for us first. Continue to reveal more of Yourself to us, and teach us to discern Satan’s lies so we can drive them out before they take root. Let us hear your voice alone, Abba. Amen
Discussion:
1. Go through 1 Corinthians 13 again. Which of these descriptions of love is hardest to attribute to God. Why do you think that is?
1. Go through 1 Corinthians 13 again. Which of these descriptions of love is hardest to attribute to God. Why do you think that is?
2. The prayer from Ephesians 3 talked about growing your roots down deep into God’s love. What do you think that looks like? What are some concrete ways that you can grow your roots deep into God’s love?
3. The greatest love relationship that we know on earth is the love between a husband and wife. The Bible tells us that God’s love for us is even greater than we can understand. Can you imagine a love that surpasses even that of between a husband and wife? How does that make you feel?
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