God's Love

This morning's meditation is from Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV:

[14] "For this reason I kneel before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. [16] I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, [18] may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, [19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

[20] Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

This morning I just read these verses through a few times and let the message pour over me. The one significant point that stands out is that its all about understanding His love for us. That is what His power is at work doing in our lives, and that which we are called to dive into with everything we have - understanding His love. His love surpasses all knowledge, it helps us to be filled with the fullness of God. His love propels us, enables us and empowers us. It is this force of love that brings Him Glory.

These verse make me think I don't even have a tiny grasp of the real power of God's love for me! So often we think of love as emotion, and while that is true, that is not the fullness of the definition of love. There is a song that says - "love is a verb" and that is very true, as love is action. When we love our spouses faithfully, this is done though action, not just emotion. Living a life of love requires action and thought and emotion, all rolled together.

Love is also a person - God (1 John 4:8). That simple phrase stops me and causes me to consider how I think about God. We joke about how a certain person is the perfect definition of a word and if you looked in a dictionary it would have their picture next to the word, but that is the absolute truth concerning God and Love - He is Love. God is not angry, is not waiting to judge wrong-doers, is not to busy to be bothered, is not disengaged, is not the figment of someones imagination - He is Love. Taking Paul's famous love verse 1 Cor 13:4-8 and substituting God for love we have the following:

God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He does not dishonor others, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

Amen - God is Love.