Abounding In Love
If we are not careful, our affections for the Lord will weaken. Here's how we pray that this love would grow
Our world is still looking for love in all the wrong places. It thinks, and lives a mantra of, love is love; believes that love of the world is all it needs; and gives little thought about how much God so loved the world. Even among the children of God, we need to focus on our Lord’s love--and pray for more of it.
Love, as God defines it, is agape, which is affection, goodwill, benevolence, or prefers, i.e., divine love (= what God is, prefers, and expresses). This is not love like the world offers, it is a type, quality and quantity of love that the Father has for Jesus, and that He has for us.
Jesus said our love will grow cold as lawlessness is increased (Matt 24:12). Growing cold is turning away or falling away from nearness to him; our affections can diminish for our Savior and be replaced with affections for worldly things.
Therefore as believers, we must cultivate love for the Lord, meaning we long for it and ask for it regularly in prayers—that we have have it and express it.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5:5 (Sufferings produces hope is certain, derived from the awareness of the divine love of God.) O, that this holy affection would runneth over us!
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, Philippians 1:9 Abound, or as the NASB uses: overflow; to gush, exceed, be above and beyond!
Do any of us have enough love of God, and love for God? Or more than enough? Is love increasing, overflowing and abiding in abundance?
No? Is it instead shallow, weak, cold? Then let us pray for love:
O Lord, we love you, because You first loved us, we pray let love be daily poured out, and abounding in and over us, back to You and outward to others. Amen
Loves 4 Dimensions
We pray for more Godly, divine, perfect, holy love, so that:
1. We know the love Jesus has for us and abide in it
Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:18-19). His love is unfathomable, immense, and immeasurable.
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. (John 15:9) We do this by verse 10, we keep His word.
2. We may love Jesus as the Father does
And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)
Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matt 22:37) Note how these correspond the the first for commandments in Exodus 20. This is why Jesus says this is the great and first command. These outline how we love God
3. We would love others as Jesus does
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt 22:39). Note how this encompasses the Second Table, that is, the other six commandment. These outline how we love people. This is the royal law of Scripture (James 2:8)
And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows, (1 Thess 3:12) Increase, overflow.
4. We love ourselves as Jesus loves us
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)
More on this another time, for now remember we are not of this world and do not selfishly care for ourselves, indulgently (the ‘you deserve it’ mantra), excessively, or sinfully, pursuing the things of this world. Our love of self is knowing (experiencing) His love for us, seeing our inner man how God sees us, and care for our lives (our bodies and minds) in ways that reflect His love and manifest it as the moon reflects the sun. Self love for believers is to seek being filled with His love to overflowing.
We close with our prayer for all those who love the Lord:
May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
(2 Thes 3:5)
Until Thursday, grace and peace
Photo by Catherine Kay Greenup on Unsplash
All Scriptures from Berean Standard Bible BSB https://berean.bible/