October 16, 2018 KINGDOM LIVING part 6
Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound, still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
We may say that we love God or we love someone, but we do not normally think in terms of our love increasing and abounding. It is abundantly clear in scripture that God is a God of love. Unlike human love, the love of God is supernatural and it is not a selfish love, but a love that gives and blesses, and is a love that inexhaustible. The amazing truth for us is that God has poured out His love into our hearts as we see in Romans 5:5: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” No longer are we limited to human love that is rooted in self. As a believer, we may have full mental agreement that God is a God of love and that He loves us, but yet not experience the power of that love. If that is the case, there is no shame or disgrace in confessing that to God and asking Him to reveal His love to you in a personal way. The ultimate expression of the love of God was demonstrated when He sent His only Son to die on a cross that we might be redeemed and set free from the power of sin. Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus expressing His love for the Father and His love for His brothers and sisters and even for those who rejected Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son……” John 3:16. God’s love, the love He has poured into our hearts, is a love that gives, that blesses others, is not based on what others do or don’t do, loves the unlovely, seeks the welfare of others, is not prideful, is full of hope, and a love that speaks the truth. We cannot love this way in our own strength, but because He has poured out His love into our hearts, we can be living demonstrations of the love of God. When the love of God is operable in our lives, we will have real knowledge and discernment, we will know what is excellent, and our love will abound and increase! And, when it is the love of God that motivates us and empowers us in life, we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness (not only be righteous, but also enjoy the fruit of righteousness) that comes through Jesus, AND we will be found blameless when He returns! Is there anything greater or higher than this? Experiencing the love that God has poured out into our hearts has a way of simplifying life and giving purpose to life. Whoever wrote the song it had it right: “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.” Is our love abounding and increasing for our spouse, for our children, for our neighbors? The miracle of miracles is that God has indeed poured out His supernatural love into our hearts if we know Him as Savior and because His Holy Spirit lives in us, we can be consistent expressions of His love no matter the circumstances.
1 John 4:16 “So we know and we rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound, still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
We may say that we love God or we love someone, but we do not normally think in terms of our love increasing and abounding. It is abundantly clear in scripture that God is a God of love. Unlike human love, the love of God is supernatural and it is not a selfish love, but a love that gives and blesses, and is a love that inexhaustible. The amazing truth for us is that God has poured out His love into our hearts as we see in Romans 5:5: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” No longer are we limited to human love that is rooted in self. As a believer, we may have full mental agreement that God is a God of love and that He loves us, but yet not experience the power of that love. If that is the case, there is no shame or disgrace in confessing that to God and asking Him to reveal His love to you in a personal way. The ultimate expression of the love of God was demonstrated when He sent His only Son to die on a cross that we might be redeemed and set free from the power of sin. Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus expressing His love for the Father and His love for His brothers and sisters and even for those who rejected Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son……” John 3:16. God’s love, the love He has poured into our hearts, is a love that gives, that blesses others, is not based on what others do or don’t do, loves the unlovely, seeks the welfare of others, is not prideful, is full of hope, and a love that speaks the truth. We cannot love this way in our own strength, but because He has poured out His love into our hearts, we can be living demonstrations of the love of God. When the love of God is operable in our lives, we will have real knowledge and discernment, we will know what is excellent, and our love will abound and increase! And, when it is the love of God that motivates us and empowers us in life, we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness (not only be righteous, but also enjoy the fruit of righteousness) that comes through Jesus, AND we will be found blameless when He returns! Is there anything greater or higher than this? Experiencing the love that God has poured out into our hearts has a way of simplifying life and giving purpose to life. Whoever wrote the song it had it right: “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.” Is our love abounding and increasing for our spouse, for our children, for our neighbors? The miracle of miracles is that God has indeed poured out His supernatural love into our hearts if we know Him as Savior and because His Holy Spirit lives in us, we can be consistent expressions of His love no matter the circumstances.
1 John 4:16 “So we know and we rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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