In the current teaching series from Pastor Richard Harris, we are talking about God's Surpassing Love. We've talked about how God wants us to know His love in an experiential and personal way, like a man 'knows' his wife. And, how He wants to have a love-relationship with us. He doesn't just want to love us from a distance, objectively! He wants a passionate, personal and powerful love relationship, like a father and his child, a husband and his wife, a life-long, best friend.
But how do we love Him this way? Firstly, it's in response. That's why He wants to know His love. We love, because He first loved us! If you don't know you're loved, it's very hard to love. You can't give away what you don't have, right?
'But I don't feel loved', I hear you say. Well, what does the Word of God say? The Word of God says quite unequivocally that He does love you, with a never-ending, never giving up, always and forever, unconditional love. That's pretty amazing. So, why don't we feel it?
There are two steps we're going to cover. The first step in knowing God's love for us is meditation.
Proverbs 23:7 says; As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. How we think, dictates how we feel, did you know that? That's huge! Philippians 4:8 says; Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
What are you thinking? Romans 12:2 talks about being transformed by the renewing of your mind. If you don't feel the love of God, you need to renew your mind to the Word of God. You need to meditate on His promises, the things He's said about you in His Word. Knowing the Word is so helpful. Have scriptures that you can quote to yourself when you feel unloved, or worship songs you can sing that get your mind on to the truth of God's Word. And as you change what you think, your feelings will catch up.
God's love is shed abroad in your heart, the Bible says it is. I love the song 'Jesus loves me this I know'. Why do I 'know' it? Because the Bible tells me so! I may not always feel it, but I know it's true because the Bible tells me so. You see His love is in your spirit and so the problem is never with God. The good news is that the problem is with us! How is that good news? Because you can do something about it! Change the way you think. Get your thought-life lined up with the truth of God's Word and your feelings will fall in line.
God's love is often described as a well, like a spring bubbling up continually. It's time for you to open the well and let God's love flow.You already have His love inside you, like a caterpillar. Did you know that all the DNA for a butterfly is already in that caterpillar? It's in there! It might not look like a butterfly, it might not feel like a butterfly (I don't know!), but all it needs to become a butterfly is contained in that caterpillar.
Think about that! His destiny is already in him. You don’t have to become 'that person', accomplish anything, prove anything, it’s in you! You just need to get your reality aligned with the truth. Meditate on God’s love for you. Think thoughts on purpose. Get scriptures, praise and worship songs and say them or sing them out loud. Learn scriptures so you can quote them whenever your feelings don’t align with the truth of God’s Word and His love for you and watch the transformation begin.
Next week we're going to look at the next step in knowing His love; action.
Yours in transformation,
Upstream Ministries
Watch the clip from Pastor Richard's teaching by clicking the image below.
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