Learning To Love by Learning His Love

Love.

...that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Filled with all the fullness of God....God is LOVE.  To be rooted and grounded in LOVE, to know the LOVE of Christ, to be filled with GOD, strengthened with power through his Spirit, with Christ dwelling in our hearts (vs.16-17).   This all equals LOVE!

The more we understand God's love & KNOW it, the more we love Him and cling to Him and seek Him (We love Him because He first loved us. 1 Jn 4:19).  And to the extent that we seek Him and pursue Him through His word, we are filled with Him.  He draws near to those who draw near to Him (James 4:8).  He strengthens us with power, He indwells us, filling us with all the fullness of God....and we overflow with LOVE...for Him...and for others.

I need so much more of His love.  I mean, I have His love.  He has poured it out on me and into me.  But I need to KNOW it so much more.  I need to LIVE it so much more.

One thing I'm seeing....LOVE takes TIME.

Time in His word.  Time in prayer.  Time thinking about Him, recognizing His presence all through the day.  This is the way we know His love....and grow our love for Him.

LOVE takes TIME to GIVE..

Like when Abel woke up too early this morning and needed to go back to sleep.  I rocked him for a minute and put him back down...there were other things to do...like finish having my time in the Word (that's important, right??).  But as I stood at his door listening to his sad little cries and hearing his call for Mama, I remembered LOVE takes TIME.  So, I went in and sat next to his crib and stoked his head and his face until he fell asleep.  He kept opening up his eyes to make sure I was still there.  My presence spoke love and comfort to Him.  Hmm...sounds familiar.  It's the same with me and my Father.

Like yesterday when I needed to be in the Salsa Kitchen making hundreds of salsa packets for our market next week, but I knew I had planned to take dinner to my sweet elderly neighbors...to show them the gospel in action (LOVE).  So, I took the extra TIME, finished making the dinner and went over and sat at their table and listened to them talk for a good long time.  What a blessing.  And do you know that God gave me plenty of time later to make salsa packets?  He's good like that...He GIVES LOVE BACK.

Like when the kids are fighting and and I feel like saying, "ENOUGH! Just knock it off and go sit in your beds!"...but instead, stop what I'm in the middle of and sit down with them and listen to each of them tell what happened and help them work it out....and THEN, go on to show them from God's word how He wants us to live and how His ways are always the best.  This can take LOTS of time, but is truly the most LOVING thing I can do for my children.

I need so much more of Christ's love...so much more of Christ!  Lord, fill me with all the fullness of God!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Isn't it amazing that God can do so much more than we can even dream...through HIS power working through US!  This amazing work that He can do, He does through US!  He strengthens us with power through His Spirit (vs. 16)...power to KNOW His LOVE and to GIVE His LOVE.

Can you relate?  How is God showing you His love?  How is He working His love through you?  Share with us in the comments below!