A Super-Practical Tip to Encounter God’s Love - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 16
A Super-Practical Tip to Encounter God’s Love
By Kelly Balarie
Bible Reading:
“and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” – Ephesians 3:19 AMPC
I wake, deep into the night hour. My mind circles one thought: All that matters is love. I can’t get my mind off this thought. Besides love? Everything else is like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
In this midnight hour, this thought both consumes me and compels me. I understand the sobering truth; I have one life to live. This is it! One grand stage to go all out for Jesus… It is here. I don’t want the world’s conveniences, accumulation of material items, or online contempt to drive me; I want love of Christ to compel me.
I want to be so driven by love that people will reflect upon my life and say, “Wow. That could have only been Jesus.”
Wouldn’t that be an amazing legacy: “We saw Jesus in her.”
Theology studied will not produce that. Bible verses intellectually memorized will not result in that. More messages heard will not miraculously make this happen. Only love. Real love. Outpouring love. Genuine love. Caring love. Moving love.
It is not just what we know; it is the love experienced in Christ Jesus that changes us.
“and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].” (Eph. 3:19 AMPC)
Love transcends the mind to live out from our heart, in real action.
This morning, provoked again by this thought, I came to terms with the fact that God’s love is beyond me. But still, He miraculously welcomes me into it.
In my day, to see forth Ephesians 3:19, I can do something. I can look for God’s love in the minuscule, in the ordinary, and in the mundane. I can seek Him and find Him.
What does it look like?
I see a heart in the concrete of the sidewalk I walk on. Many would just see it as a small hole. I see and remember God’s love for me. God, you love me so very much.
I notice the waves that are continual; they never stop or end. God’s faithfulness always works. Like those waves will never stop, so do His promises for me never stop or end.
I was given grace on a speeding ticket and only given a warning. God, like this warning for a speeding ticket, your mercy has entirely let me off the hook, and your grace, even more, blesses me.
I notice the bird with the worm in its mouth. Oh God, you always provide the daily bread needed, right on time.
God is encountering me all the time… if I look for Him. And, to seek Him is to find Him. When I receive His love, I am filled with His love. When I am filled with His love, I can impart His love. If He floods me, then I can flood the world. This is life-changing, and even world-changing.
The presence of His love is the starting point of real joy, contagious joy.
Doing this requires one to move past the distractions of the world, to dive into the intentionality of God’s heart in creation, in people, in circumstances, in the skies above and the world around.
He is speaking, though many miss Him. He is telling us, often, of how much He loves us.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How does the world distract you? Are you buried in your phone or looking for God wherever you go? What would it look like for you to forgo the world to find His love?
Perhaps, today, start with asking God to give you understanding of His love? Ask Him to show you His love. Ask Him to help you to receive His love.
Then, keep your eyes open to what God may be doing or saying in your world. Notice Him. Permit Him to love you as He makes His Word come alive in your life.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Elena Golotsvan
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
The Rapture: What Is It and When Will It Happen?
Talbot New Testament scholar Dr. Alan Hultberg joins Sean McDowell to sort out what Scripture says, walk through the three major views, and ask the question everyone wants answered: are we close? Hultberg starts by clearing away the "Left Behind" imagery most of us absorbed from movies and kids' Bible storybooks, then lays out the three positions evangelicals actually debate, explaining what separates them, how each handles the tribulation, Israel, and the timing of Christ's return.
Want more answers to your biggest questions about God, morality, and contemporary culture? Be sure to follow The Sean McDowell Show on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
