In our last episode we talked about the Fruit of the Spirit. And it’s no coincidence that the first fruit is love.
I mean the first verse that comes to mind is John 3:16. For God so loved the world. Not just this group or that group but every one of us.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
If you can’t love your neighbor or that co-worker who makes your life unbearable, or maybe you even have trouble loving yourself, then you really don’t know God as intimately as you could. I know, I’ve been there. It’s not a good place to be.
1 John 4:16 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.
When you dwell in something you live there. We are called to live in love, not live for ourselves. Love should permeate everything we do.
We need to take the time to get to know God. We get to know Him when we draw closer to Him and when the hard times come and they will come, we can have peace in the midst of all of it, because we know His love will be there to see us through. Let’s take a look at 7 ways that we can draw closer to God and have a more fulfilling relationship with Him.
The first way we can feel God’s love is
1. Through Intimate Prayer.
Intimate prayer is heartfelt prayer. It’s when you take the time to focus on Him. You dim the world so that his light can shine bright. Jesus is our standard when it comes to intimate prayer. He prayed in public, he prayed in private, he prayed before meals, he prayed during times of crisis, he even taught us how we should pray. So I guess it’s safe to say that prayer is a big deal.
Psalm 5:3 “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning. Oh Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee and will look up.”
Prayer is like my first meal of the day it’s my breakfast. I’m not telling you how you should pray but I find it’s easier before life starts hitting me hard to start my day with prayer.
We look up so that our focus is where it should be. Never mind if you don’t feel like your feeling His presence. You pray by faith and as you pray that glass ceiling will come crashing down. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
Next we can feel God’s love
2. Through His Creation.
It’s kind of hard not to feel God’s presence when it’s all around us. From the highest mountains, to the infinite reaches of outer space, and all of the creatures that inhabit this place we call home. God’s hand is clearly seen in his creation. For Him to give us dominion over all of it is amazing. There is no better way to feel God’s love than through His creation.
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse
You can’t say that there’s not a God. When you look at a building you know there was a builder. When you look at a painting you know there was a painter. So when you look at all of creation you know there was a creator.
The third way we can experienced God’s love is
3. Through His Word.
We need to take the time to get to know our heavenly Father. The Bible brings our God to life. We need to make His word a part of us. It’s hard to have a loving relationship when you don’t know anything about the one you want to love. When I first met my wife I wanted to know all about her. I wanted to make sure that her walk was in step with mine. I wouldn’t settle for anything less. So when I read my Bible I want to make sure that I am walking in step with my first love, my Lord and my Savior.
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
When we read the scriptures it builds us up, edifies us, and encourages us so that the power of God dwells in us.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.
We shouldn’t just read the Bible we should make it a part of who we are. Memorizing scripture just naturally fills us with the love of God. Some people just have a hard time memorizing scripture, I can’t remember the words to songs but for some reason God’s word has a place in my heart. If you make God’s word a priority in your life then it becomes easier to memorize it. Don’t just read the bible to read the Bible. Take the time to find scripture that speaks to your heart. Those are the verses that you need in your daily life. Those are the verses you need to commit to memory.
And the fourth way we can experience God’s love is
4. Through The People He Brings Into Our Lives.
God doesn’t always bring people into our lives who are on fire for the Lord. And that’s okay. It’s what we do with the opportunity that He gives us that’s important. Are we willing to sacrifice for others even if we don’t feel like it. Sometimes or should I say most of the time feelings don’t have a part in this . It’s what we’re called to do.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered to but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus sets the bar really high when it comes to sacrifice. He gave his life for us. That’s love. So when we’re called to sacrifice for others our sacrifice should be an act of love, not just waiting for the mood to hit us. As always remember it’s not about us. When you love others and sacrifice for them you are drawing closer to God.
Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.
We are called to spur one another on. Sometimes our love tank just ain’t as full as it could be. That’s why fellowship is so important. It helps to fill up the love tank. That time in church, Bible study or in Celebrate Recovery is how we get charged and revitalized so that we can go out in this world and share the gospel with someone who needs to hear it.
The fifth way that we can experience the love of God is
5. Through Answered Prayer.
Sometimes if God doesn’t answer our prayers right away we may think he doesn’t love us. God wants what’s best for us. And what I’m about to say to you, you probably already know, but I’m going to say it anyway. Sometimes God says no. It’s not for us to understand why, but to know that he’s saying no because he’s a loving Father and He wants what’s best for us at that time. Not what we think is best.
When you pray don’t pray from a self-centered view but from a christ-centered view. Once you pray in the proper spirit then and only then can you have a more intimate relationship with Him.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you
The sixth way we can come to know the love of God is
6. Through The Holy Spirit.
God did not want to leave us orphans.
Through it all the indwelling Holy Spirit is with us. He brings to remembrance scripture that offers encouragement and guidance. He is also our comforter who comes alongside during trials and tribulations and gives us the strength to endure.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
And finally the ultimate love of God is
7. Through His Son, His precious gift to us.
Romans 5:7-8 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man some might even dare to die. But God demonstrates his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The magnitude of God’s love is clearly seen on the cross. There is no greater gift that God could give us than eternal life. We don’t deserve the time of day from God never mind life everlasting.
So let’s bring this all together now. The first fruit is love and we are called to love God, to love our neighbors, and to love ourselves. If you struggle with that last part and many people do, we will address that in a future episode.
Thank you for listening today.
Thank you for these.God is so good.