Consider the Breadth of God’s Love!

There’s a song from the ’70’s by John Paul Young called Love is in air.  The lyrics declare:

Love is in the air
In the whisper of the trees, In the thunder of the sea, In the risin’ of the sun
When the day is nearly done,
Everywhere I look around,
Every sight and every sound,

Fully Convinced

The Apostle Paul probably felt the same way.  In Romans 8:38-39 NLT he says, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord..”

I know God loves me – I hope you do to.  But our flawed experiences cannot compare to the perfect love that God has for us and showers on us. It is hard to comprehend a love like God’s.  It is so much better than any we will ever encounter from anyone else. 

The Apostle Paul knew this too. In fact, he prayed for other believers to understand this more fully. In Eph 3:16-18 he writes, “¹⁶ I pray that from God’s glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”

When we are rooted in God’s love we are strong.

The Depth and Breadth of His Love

Every once in a while, a new aspect of the depth and breadth of it dawns on me. It overwhelms me. That happened to me recently when I was having my devotions.  I am confessing a wrong attitude to Him – yet again – feeling like a failure for not getting it right for the umpteenth time and His gentle voice in my spirit said, “love keeps no record of wrongs.” You may recognize that from I Cor. 13.  I’m astonished to have not fully recognized that God’s love works like that for me. When I come to Him in contrition and repent – He remembers it no more.  He does not keep count of how many times I fail in the same area – He keeps no record of wrongs. 

Is 59:2 explains of course that our sin separates us from God, but I John 1:9 assures us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

I have heard and read I Cor. 13 many times – but always in the context of how I should behave – how I should love – which I should. But that day, I understood like never before, that is how God loves me! I John 4:8 tells us that God is love, so the description that we find in I Cor 13:4-8’s is how God loves me!  And you!

Shattering the Lies

When I read through that passage as a description of how God loves me – it is startling!  It shatters all the lies Satan tells us about God.  

In order to let that truth work deeply in our lives, it is good to consider what love is phrase by phrase.  So, over the next few weeks, I’ll will post about one phrase at a time.  Most will be quite short, but I pray as you read them you will encounter God’s love in ways you never have before!

A True Definition

^“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails.”  I Cor. 13:4-8a NIV

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