Young Adults' Group

Abounding In Love

by Pastor Mark
July 20, 2017

The challenge to abound in love

The Apostle Paul made a special prayer for the Philippian church to abound in love. Abounding in love is something that is most challenging to develop. Even though the brethren were mature in faith and already showing love, Paul recognised the need to pray for them to abound in love. But how do we develop this abounding kind of love? As much as we want to strive for this greater love, we need to ask ourselves some fundamental questions first before we can come to the cultivation of this abounding kind of love.

1. Ascertain our love for God

Let us ask ourselves, “What kind of love do we have for God?” Moses wrote, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) This is called the “Shema”. This was something that the people of Israel recited in their worship of God. It was meant to help them to have a heart that was focused on the Lord God who is the one and only true God. There should not be any other idols of the heart.

The people of Israel were to love the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their strength. The heart is a feeling agency…an expression of the soul or the spirit. How do we know that our soul has love for the Lord? Our heart will reveal it. Strength is the physical expression of love that is from within. We would have the strength to keep the Lord’s Word and to serve Him when we have love for Him. Are we seeking to love the Lord with all of our being? Let us be challenged to ascertain our love for the Lord.

2. Abiding in the love of Christ

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9)

In having a fundamental love for God, we want to also abide in the love of Christ. The Lord Jesus challenged His disciples to abide in His love. They had experienced the love of Christ throughout His time with them. The Lord revealed how His Father loved Him and with that same love, He loved His disciples. He cared for them, taught them, protected them…He loved them to the end. (John 13:1) The Lord also loved the multitude with much affection (splagchnon). (Mark 1:41) The disciples were meant to abide in the love of Christ.

The Lord taught further, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10) The Lord abided in His Father’s love by being in close communion with Him. Out of a heart of love, He kept His Father’s commandments…to preach the gospel and to be obedient fully. We should also learn to abide in the Christ’s love…by being in communion with Him. We want to abide in Him and His word. (John 15:4,7) It is out of a heart of love, that we would keep the Lord’s commandment. Let us be challenged to abide in the Lord’s love.

3. Abounding in love

It is only when we are able to love God with our whole being and to abide in the love of Christ that we would be able to abound in love. When our hearts are filled with the love of God and of Christ, love will overflow from our hearts. We want to pray that our love would truly abound in deep knowledge and in all spiritual discernment…that we may test and approve the things that are not just good but excellent. We would then be truly sincere and without offence in the application of our love. (Philippians 1:9–11) Let us be challenged to abound in love for our brethren in church and for those around us.

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