“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.”
1 John 4:16-17a (NLT)
Do you trust God? We struggle in our faith when we don’t trust God. The reason we don’t trust God is because we really don’t have a revelation of how much He loves us. For a relationship to grow and flourish, there must be trust. We may say that we “know” God loves us, but have you “experienced” the love of God?
The love that John is writing about is not man’s love. It’s not the kind of love that we may or may not have received from our parents, family, friends, a spouse, or even what we look for in our children. Man’s love is conditional and often based on feelings or circumstances. God’s love is perfect, because God is love.
The only way to experience God’s perfect love is to spend time with Him. It’s to live in Him; live in His Word, live in His presence through prayer. His Word washes away the hurt and rejection of man and shows us what true love looks like. Prayer allows us to come to Him with a humble heart, to repent, and cry out for His healing. The problem occurs when we take our eyes off God and turn to rely on man’s love. What often follows is disappointment, offense, frustration and a fear to trust. We need to stop looking to man to fulfill what only comes by living in Him. Our relationships flourish when we allow God to be the one to love us. You can trust Him. God’s love will never fail you.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Our first year of marriage was a challenge. We were both leaders in church and we knew God brought us together for His purpose, yet we struggled to walk together in harmony. I had expectations of how my husband should behave and would get upset when he wouldn’t meet those expectations. I felt hurt, unloved and unappreciated. I knew I needed to cry out to God for answers. In my devotional time God asked me, “Before you were married, who did you look to for love?” I answered, “You Lord.” His next question to me was, “So what’s changed?” That was the problem. I had changed. I needed to stop looking to man to bless me, love me, serve me, fulfill me, and instead look to God. I repented, and the power of His love flooded my heart, healed me, and filled me with such joy.
Relationships that God has called us to are not 50/50. Trusting in God’s perfect love means receiving 100% from Him, so we can then give 100% to others. We flourish in the love of God because we put our trust in Him. (Calvena Sautia)
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“Father, forgive me for looking to others for my affection, attention and affirmation. Today, I choose to trust You. Fill me to the overflow with Your love. As I spend time in Your Word and in prayer, I will experience the power of Your love that allows me to love others.”
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Isaiah 27-28; Proverbs 23:1-18
- New Testament: Luke 22:39-46; Hebrews 6:13-20
