Love That Abounds: A Journey to Deeper Faith and Relationships
In a world that often confuses love with fleeting emotions or conditional agreements, we are called to a higher, more profound understanding of love. This love isn't just a feeling we conjure up or a contract we negotiate; it's a divine gift, sourced and strengthened by God Himself.
Imagine for a moment a peculiar machine in a church lobby, asking not about romantic prowess, but about how well we love our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, those who irritate us, and even God Himself. How many of us would confidently step up to such a test? The truth is, we often find ourselves on the weaker end of the love spectrum, feeling anemic or simply tired.
There are countless reasons why our capacity to love waxes and wanes. The cost of love can wear us down, whether we're pouring ourselves into difficult family situations or feeling invisible in our faithful service. The brokenness of life, with its losses and setbacks, can leave us weary. Sometimes, we suffer from what might be called "gospel amnesia," forgetting God's faithfulness while vividly remembering the hurts inflicted by others.
In light of these challenges, we need more than just a little boost in our ability to love. We need supernatural help. This is where the Apostle Paul's prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 becomes a beacon of hope and a guide for our spiritual journey:
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Paul isn't merely suggesting we try harder to love. He's praying for a love that abounds, a glacier-sized love that flows up to God and out to others, refreshing and encouraging all it touches. This love is characterized by three essential qualities:
1. A Love Supplied and Strengthened by God
The source of this abounding love isn't our own willpower or emotional reserves. It's God Himself. Before the foundation of the world, God existed in perfect loving community – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and predestined us for adoption into this divine family. When we come to faith, the Holy Spirit regenerates our hearts, uniting us to Christ and producing the fruit of love within us.
This truth was beautifully illustrated in the story of George Whitefield and John Wesley. Despite theological differences that threatened their friendship, Whitefield demonstrated a love for Wesley that couldn't be canceled, grounded in the eternal, welcoming, pursuing, and redeeming love of God. This is the well from which we must drink deeply – God's unwavering love for us.
2. A Love Guided by Discerning Wisdom
Paul prays for a love that abounds "with knowledge and all discernment." This isn't mere intellectual knowledge, but a relational wisdom shaped by God's character, informed by His Word, and empowered by His Spirit. It's a love that truly desires the well-being and spiritual growth of others, even those who may irritate us.
This discerning love recognizes that we are all saints, sinners, and sufferers. We are beloved by God, yet we struggle with remaining sin and face the pains of living in a fallen world. Loving wisely means seeing people through this multifaceted lens, offering both grace and truth as needed.
3. A Love That Bears Excellent Fruit
As we grow in this God-supplied, wisdom-guided love, it produces a bountiful harvest in our lives:
- We develop the ability to discern and choose what is morally excellent, even in the gray areas of life.
- We grow in purity and blamelessness, becoming mindful not to hinder our own spiritual growth or that of others.
- We are filled with the fruit of righteousness, as God uses the trials and sufferings of life to purify us and write a better story than we would craft for ourselves.
This fruit-bearing process isn't always comfortable. Like J.R.R. Tolkien receiving critique from C.S. Lewis about his beloved "hobbit talk," we may need to endure painful edits to our lives. But when we trust in God's love and wisdom, these struggles result in a more beautiful and impactful story.
Reflecting on this profound love challenges us to examine our own hearts and relationships. Are we relying on our own emotional reserves or tapping into the inexhaustible wellspring of God's love? Are we loving others with discerning wisdom, seeing them as complex individuals in need of both grace and truth? And are we allowing God to use the trials and sufferings of life to produce excellent fruit in us?
As we journey deeper into this abounding love, we find that it transforms not only our relationship with God but also how we interact with everyone around us. It gives us the strength to love when we feel depleted, the wisdom to love when situations are complex, and the perseverance to love even when it's costly.
Let us pray, like Paul, for this abounding love to fill our hearts and overflow into our world. May we drink deeply from the well of God's eternal, pursuing love. May we grow in relational wisdom and discernment. And may our lives bear the excellent fruit of righteousness, all to the glory and praise of God.
In a world starved for authentic love, may we be bearers of this abounding, God-given love that has the power to refresh souls, mend relationships, and point others to the ultimate source of love – God Himself.
Imagine for a moment a peculiar machine in a church lobby, asking not about romantic prowess, but about how well we love our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, those who irritate us, and even God Himself. How many of us would confidently step up to such a test? The truth is, we often find ourselves on the weaker end of the love spectrum, feeling anemic or simply tired.
There are countless reasons why our capacity to love waxes and wanes. The cost of love can wear us down, whether we're pouring ourselves into difficult family situations or feeling invisible in our faithful service. The brokenness of life, with its losses and setbacks, can leave us weary. Sometimes, we suffer from what might be called "gospel amnesia," forgetting God's faithfulness while vividly remembering the hurts inflicted by others.
In light of these challenges, we need more than just a little boost in our ability to love. We need supernatural help. This is where the Apostle Paul's prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 becomes a beacon of hope and a guide for our spiritual journey:
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Paul isn't merely suggesting we try harder to love. He's praying for a love that abounds, a glacier-sized love that flows up to God and out to others, refreshing and encouraging all it touches. This love is characterized by three essential qualities:
1. A Love Supplied and Strengthened by God
The source of this abounding love isn't our own willpower or emotional reserves. It's God Himself. Before the foundation of the world, God existed in perfect loving community – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and predestined us for adoption into this divine family. When we come to faith, the Holy Spirit regenerates our hearts, uniting us to Christ and producing the fruit of love within us.
This truth was beautifully illustrated in the story of George Whitefield and John Wesley. Despite theological differences that threatened their friendship, Whitefield demonstrated a love for Wesley that couldn't be canceled, grounded in the eternal, welcoming, pursuing, and redeeming love of God. This is the well from which we must drink deeply – God's unwavering love for us.
2. A Love Guided by Discerning Wisdom
Paul prays for a love that abounds "with knowledge and all discernment." This isn't mere intellectual knowledge, but a relational wisdom shaped by God's character, informed by His Word, and empowered by His Spirit. It's a love that truly desires the well-being and spiritual growth of others, even those who may irritate us.
This discerning love recognizes that we are all saints, sinners, and sufferers. We are beloved by God, yet we struggle with remaining sin and face the pains of living in a fallen world. Loving wisely means seeing people through this multifaceted lens, offering both grace and truth as needed.
3. A Love That Bears Excellent Fruit
As we grow in this God-supplied, wisdom-guided love, it produces a bountiful harvest in our lives:
- We develop the ability to discern and choose what is morally excellent, even in the gray areas of life.
- We grow in purity and blamelessness, becoming mindful not to hinder our own spiritual growth or that of others.
- We are filled with the fruit of righteousness, as God uses the trials and sufferings of life to purify us and write a better story than we would craft for ourselves.
This fruit-bearing process isn't always comfortable. Like J.R.R. Tolkien receiving critique from C.S. Lewis about his beloved "hobbit talk," we may need to endure painful edits to our lives. But when we trust in God's love and wisdom, these struggles result in a more beautiful and impactful story.
Reflecting on this profound love challenges us to examine our own hearts and relationships. Are we relying on our own emotional reserves or tapping into the inexhaustible wellspring of God's love? Are we loving others with discerning wisdom, seeing them as complex individuals in need of both grace and truth? And are we allowing God to use the trials and sufferings of life to produce excellent fruit in us?
As we journey deeper into this abounding love, we find that it transforms not only our relationship with God but also how we interact with everyone around us. It gives us the strength to love when we feel depleted, the wisdom to love when situations are complex, and the perseverance to love even when it's costly.
Let us pray, like Paul, for this abounding love to fill our hearts and overflow into our world. May we drink deeply from the well of God's eternal, pursuing love. May we grow in relational wisdom and discernment. And may our lives bear the excellent fruit of righteousness, all to the glory and praise of God.
In a world starved for authentic love, may we be bearers of this abounding, God-given love that has the power to refresh souls, mend relationships, and point others to the ultimate source of love – God Himself.
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