Living in the Love of God

Living in the Love of God
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:16–19

Love is not just something God does; love is something God is. He is the very personification and definition of love. He is the standard by which all other love is measured, and compared to which all other love falls short. We are commanded by God to love each other, and we are commanded by God to love Him. Often we struggle with both of these.

It is hard for us to love other people because they are too much like us—selfish, proud, greedy, and unkind. Yet God loves us in spite of our failures. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). It is hard for us to love God because we are too little like Him. We do not spend enough time in His Word and in prayer to allow His Spirit to kindle a divine measure of love in our hearts.  Dr. John Rice wrote:

What words can I find to tell Jesus I love Him,
Because He first loved me;
Because of my ransom He paid with such suffering,
Upon the cursed tree.
In the morning, and at noontime and when come evening shadows,
I love Thee my Jesus, I love Thee my King;
In rejoicing and in sorrow, in lightness and burden,
I love Thee my Saviour and Lord.

Today's Growth Principle:
Every day and every part of our lives should be marked by our love for our God.

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I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. --Romans 12:1 As a pastor, people will often come to me when they’re facing the fires of life. I’m talking about those who are sick, people with diseases, men and women with heartaches and family burdens. But do you know one thing I’ve noticed? There’s a glorious difference in how a faithful Christian suffers. I visited a man in the hospital who had a very aggressive form of cancer. He had been through surgery after surgery trying to get ahead of it. I walked in, not knowing what to expect him to say. But he told me, “Pastor, I’m grateful for this chance to be a stronger and more powerful witness for Jesus Christ.” It’s that kind of faith that will get us through suffering. It’s the kind of faith that says, “God, take my life and do what You want with it as long as it brings You glory.” That’s a scary prayer to pray. But ironically, it’s also the safest because you’re never in a more secure place than when you’ve completely surrendered to Christ. Is anything keeping you from praying that prayer today? Is it anxiety or fear of losing control? God is much more competent than anyone to protect you. So surrender fully to Him today, knowing that even when you suffer, He loves you and will keep you safe under His wings! SURRENDER FULLY FOR GOD’S GLORY, AND TRUST THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU FACE, HE’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU UNGUARDED.