The Knowledge of God's Love

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19

The love of God empowers us; it inspires us to excel. When a teacher sees potential in a student and tells him that he has great promise in a particular field, the student is encouraged to take on new challenges and to expand his expertise in that field of study. When a mother tells her daughter that she is gifted in a certain area, the girl is motivated to cultivate that particular talent. Encouragement instills confidence in the individual.

Nothing can stop the believer who knows and understands God's love for him or her. Even in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances, the child of God can declare that he or she is more than a conquerer. Why? Because love dispels fear and causes us to overcome the hurdles of life (1 John 4:18).

David, the shepherd boy, defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. But these were not his only weapons. David had cultivated a strong relationship with his God. He knew the love of God like few did in his day. Because of that love, David had confidence to defeat the giant and to one day lead the nation of Israel. In Psalm 18:35 David declared, “You have also given me the shield of your salvation; your right hand has held me up, your gentleness has made me great.” There is a picture here of God stooping down to lift David up. This is what God does. He treats us with kindness and gentleness. He takes us just the way we are, and he stoops down to lift us up.

It is the love of God that turned a coward like Gideon into a champion, and it is the love of God that can transform our lives. Let's pray for God to unfold his limitless love to us. He will answer this prayer. Let's search the Scriptures for the unfolding of this truth. And accompanied with that revelation will come his transforming power. The Lord will show us what our gifts are. And his encouragement will instill within us a Christ-centered confidence. A confidence that can only come through the knowledge of God's love.

© Copyright 2009 Tom Toya. All rights reserved.