We have been introducing the concept of discipleship to Jesus and the journey and process involved in becoming like Jesus. This week we will begin to dive in depth into each aspect of the growth process model. We start with love. As we follow Christ through the journey of Awakening, Processing and Joyful Partnership we may experience these phases of growing in the love of God:
(See the following scriptures for reference 1 John 4:16-19, Mark 12:29-31, John 17:23-24)
Today we will explore the idea of being radically, unconditionally, lavishly loved by God. Our journey to maturity must begin with experiencing God’s love. We cannot know that we are loved fiercely and unconditionally until and unless we have experienced it. This is true in the natural. Imagine yourself a child in foster care whose only experience of your biological mother’s love is a letter which she left in the bassinet when she dropped you off at the orphanage. The letter is filled with the most wonderful expressions of love for you. Would you believe it? Would you feel loved by her? In the same way, we are only fooling ourselves if we expect to know that we are loved by God without any evidence of it beyond the text.
This discord between the text and our experience is the battlefield where the enemy has executed his vile plans to keep God’s children feeling like orphans in this world. And this is one of the reasons why the Father sent His Son. Consider these two texts together:
John 3:16 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 17:3 (ESV)
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Jesus was sent as a tangible experience of the love of God! Immanuel came so that we could experience God with us. The enemy’s modus operandi is to get us to believe that God is far and inaccessible. Through the sacrifice of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit a tangible relationship with God is now available to every single believer. Romans 5:5b (NLT) says:
For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
How do we know God loves us? Because the Holy Spirit in us fills our heart with His love! You can feel the emotions of His affection for you in your very soul. You can also physically benefit from His provision and lovingkindness in the circumstances of your life. You can also hear His voice whisper to you words of affirmation, guidance and encouragement. In every way you can receive and experience His love.
This is not something reserved for a select few. This is our heritage and birthright as sons and daughters of God and the very first step in becoming like Christ. We cannot hope to transition to the more advanced stages of maturity without experiencing God’s love. It is His love that provides the rich nutrients for growth. We are in a very real sense, loved into our best selves. It is God’s loving words of encouragement, guidance and discipline that transform our lives as He walks with us through life daily.
REFLECTION
- Is God’s love for you an intellectual belief or a felt reality?
- Describe at least one moment in your life when you most felt loved by God.
- Have you ever thought about practicing receiving love from God? If so, what is your practice?