The next truth from the key verses is that it
takes power to understand the love of God. The world has turned the word love
into a horrible caricature of what God intended. Do we even grasp the width,
depth, length and height of the love of God? I see grace preachers all the time
speak about it but they do not even grasp it. It takes real power to understand
the love of God in our life. That is the power God wants us to walk under. That
is the power He gave us by His sacrifice on
So we have
come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and
whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. -- 1John 4: 16
(ESV)
Sounds easy enough but we do not even come close
to abiding in love. We get self righteous with a world we are supposed to
witness to. We get angry with co-workers or even people in the pew next to us.
We hold bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts. We still have many rooms we
need to give Christ access to.
It is an ongoing process beloved, as the key
verses teach us in conclusion. In truth, the true love of God is simply beyond
our mere mortal comprehension. But it is still what we should be striving for.
Because the complete fullness of life, that spiritual maturity God intends for
us and the power that comes with it, is only found in it. We hear all the time
preachers speaking about the full abundant Christian life. Living the
victorious Christian life. Living the overcoming life. But modern Christianity
has warped so much of what God intended. The power is not found in material
possession or anything from this world. Prosperity is not monetary beloved -- it
is spiritual! Can you imagine living a life where no matter what comes against
you there is nothing but the peace of God? Through ups and downs, trials and
tribulations, life and death -- nothing but the peace of God. How do we get to
that level of spiritual maturity?
Like in any relationship, we start with who the
other person is. We start with who God is. We cannot expect to move on and grow
if we do not even understand who it is that we serve. Leonard Ravenhill once
said, "I've got The Father on my side,
Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and 2/3 of the angels. What do you think I'm
going to do? Sit down and cry?" We need to grasp who is on our side. We
also need to realize that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives
inside of us. That it is through the spirit we can be empowered with inner
strength from the unlimited resources of God Almighty. We need to open up all
of our heart to Christ so that He can make His home there. So our roots can
grow deep and strong in the love that God has for us. That we would continue to
pursue the power needed to fully comprehend that love. There is completion with
all the fullness of this life awaiting us as we grow spiritually in the Lord.
There is power available for us to transcend the Christianese sermon points and
truly live the victorious life Christ died to provide us. In Jesus name; amen.
Reverend Anthony Wade -- May 7, 2013
