A Pause to Ponder God's Word
"Love Abounding"

The dikes had been built. The floodwalls were in place. The engineers were confident the river would be held back in the event it reached flood stage. Yet, on this spring the waters rose, higher than ever before. The raging waters roared, tearing the banks away and restructuring the landscape along the river's back. Then in an awesome show of power the dikes and floodwalls succumbed to the water as it broke through the barriers washing away buildings and whole towns. The waters abounded more and more until the walls could no longer hold it back.

People build all kinds of walls. Many are not visible to the human eye. They are walls of bitterness, prejudice, pride, or fear. Some build walls built in an attempt to protect a once wounded heart. Others build walls of cynicism and pessimism trying to keep out all the harsh realities of life.  Other build them to keep people from getting too close for fear of being hurt or of their hidden secrets being discovered. Still others build walls of arrogance, believing they can handle life by themselves. In the end the walls isolate us and we are left alone, helpless, and lost. Is there anything that can penetrate these walls? Can people with walls like these ever find freedom from their prisons to find fullness of life?

If such a people are ever to be reached the Love of God must abound more and more, like the water of the flooding river. This is one reason why Paul's prayer for the church at Philippi was that their "love would abound more and more."  (Philippians 1:9) Right in the middle of rejoicing in their partnership with him in the gospel he lifts this prayer for them. Divine love needed to abound in their hearts in such a way that it would flow out of them, flooding over the walls people had built. Not in forceful overpowering ways. Rather with consistent compassion filled with knowledge, discernment, and righteousness.

How is love to abound more and more? It is not greater emotional fervor or depth of feeling. Rather it is to abound in "knowledge, and depth of insight being pure and blameless filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ." (1:9-11) The knowledge is of God, His Word and truth, which give us the tools necessary to discern what is pure, right and holy. It is then that love expresses itself in ways that can be tested proving its character to be pure, blameless, and transparent, acting righteousnessly, bringing glory and praise to God. Such love not only transforms the possessor, but also flows out like a river flooding over others breaking down their walls opening them for God's love to touch and draw them to Him.

Beloved, this prayer is for us. We need to pray it, and allow it to be answered in our lives. For only as we remain yielded to God's continuous completing good work and in faithful obedience study His Word striving to know Him more and more, will His Love abound in us. He will not force it upon us, but will respond to our heartfelt prayers and earnest efforts. "May your love abound more and more is us oh Lord!"

Keep Close to Jesus.
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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