I learned the importance of taking God's Word at His Word and not running away from it.
Paul prayed earnestly that we would understand how much God our Father -- our Daddy! -- loves us.
"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 14-19)
Paul wants God our Father to strengthen us on the inside, that our inner man can handle how much He loves us.
That Christ would be at home within us.
That we would be
Rooted
and
Grounded in love - His love. Not our love for others, but God's love for us!
His love for us!
"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3)
and
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
and
"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)
How about this?
"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)
How about that? So much love for us to learn about!
The sheer extension of it is beyond our grasp:
"20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
God's love for us exceeds anything that we can ask or think.
There is so much to know, and so much to learn about God's lavish love for us.
For this reason, we have to have our minds renewed to the truth of how much God loves us:
"2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)
and then
"18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
We are renewed, we are changed as we keep seeing more of Jesus, and we see how much our Daddy God loves us in heaven!
So much has indeed begun changing within me. There were so many lies which I used to hold onto, a sense that the burning sense of love that He has for me would come or go, and that I was constantly punished for how I felt or what I was thinking. God our Daddy has been on call since the beginning.
The one problem? I didn't know it!
NOW I now!
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