For the first ten years after I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and I called on His name to save me, I believed in his name and that He is God who came in the flesh. Yet, I still made a list of every command I could find in God’s Word and followed it religiously so that I could earn the love of Jesus (1 John 4:18).
Then one day I heard my Savior say, “I love the whole world so much that I suffered, bled, died, and rose again, so that whoever believes in me will not perish in the flames of hell, but will be with Me in Heaven for eternity. Now, only those who choose not to believe in Me condemn themselves to eternal damnation (John 3:16 -18). My love cannot be earned, because it is a free gift” (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 8:39).
I sat in His presence within me, stunned that it took so many years for me to come to the awareness of this truth. At that moment, I felt His unconditional and infinite love pour over me like a waterfall. I sat there in praise and adoration of His drenching Agape love that is mine, not only in eternity, but now also while I traverse this sin-cursed earth.
This amazing, all-consuming, peace-filled love is ours every moment of every day if we are just willing to take time from our busy schedule to sit under this waterfall of love that cascades over us from the throne of God. We are filled through all of our being with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified Bible).
We do not need to wait until we get to heaven to feel the power of His love. We understand it fully and completely now, with all the richness of His love and power that comes from God and abides within us, through the intimate union we enjoy with Jesus on this side of eternity (Ephesians 3:18-19; Psalm 36:7).
Prayer:
Father God, although we are still subject to the temptations of sin, You surround us today with the shield of Your love (Psalm 5:11-12; Romans 5:8). Your Holy Spirit within us fills our hearts with Your love (Romans 5:5). We can rejoice and find fulfilling joy in Your unfailing love while we live on this earth, because You care about the anguish of our soul that we are constantly plagued with, and You give us a seed for a miracle in every trial (Psalm 31:7; Lamentations 3:20-23).
This wonderful, persistent, compassionate, eternal, profuse love is ours even now because it emanates from Your very presence within us (1 John 4:18; 1 John 4:9, 17). As we keep Your Word, Your love has been truly perfected in us (1 John 4:12), and this is how we know that we are in You (1 John 2:5). We can come to understand, believe, and to realize the love that You have for us as Your adopted children as we abide in Your presence throughout our lifetime (1 John 4:16).
Thought for the Day:
There is no fear in God’s love, and we no longer fear punishment for our shortcomings, because His perfect love within us drives out all fear and perfects us; even while we still live in this world, His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross gives us confidence to know that we are loved by Him because of His presence within us, and our intimate union with Him.
-1 John 4:17-18
