Rooted and Grounded part 5
Love is our foundation. Love is what keeps us grounded. Love is our root. And the thing about roots... is that they help us grow. Look at Ephesians 3:17-19, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of God, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." We always talk about "getting closer to God." Well, I'm here to tell you... you can't get any closer to God than having Him live inside you. It's not about GETTING closer to God. It's not about GETTING anything at all. It's about knowing and believing. Receiving and releasing. Being filled with all the fulness. And catch this: We are already full of it. Full of Him. Full of love. This filling is a realization. That's why I always say you're as close to God as you realize you are. Because, let's be honest, sometimes it feels like we're far away from Him. Sometimes it feels like He's in the light, and we're in the dark. But that's simply not the truth of the matter. He IS the light. And He dwells in your heart. By faith. When you know it and believe it, that's when what is already true becomes true... for you. That's when you begin to experience the truth. It's not about trying to get out of the darkness. It's about letting the light shine and watching the darkness flee. God IS light. And in Him is no darkness at all. And He's in you. So in YOU is no darkness at all. No matter what it feels like. No matter if you're having a "good" day, or a "bad" day, or what. The truth is the truth regardless. It's believing the truth, though, that manifests the truth. When Jesus was dealing with some blind men He asked them if they believed He could heal them. And they said they did. And then, "He touched their eyes and said, "Become what you believe"" (Matthew 9:29 MSG). What you believe--either the world's report, or the Word of God--literally defines your reality. That's why the Word of God--Jesus, love--has to be your foundation. That's why the knowledge (that passes knowledge; heart knowledge, not head knowledge) of God's love fills us with the fulness of God. What we've already been filled with overflows out of us when we know it and believe it. When we (again) receive it and release it. Because how else can we comprehend the height, and depth, and breadth, and length of His love for us other than sharing that love with others? Other than stretching that love to it's limit and finding out that it is limitless! Building on the foundation that is the love of God--that is the God who is love--means growing. Maturing. Not trying to become someone we're not, but simply coming into the realization of who we really are. 2 Peter 3:18 says it like this, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." We grow from our roots. Love is the root, and we grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Him. The knowledge of His love. The knowledge of who we really are. We ARE loved, and that means we are LOVE. It starts with love, and it ends (even though it's never-ending) with love. Love is the beginning, and the end, and everything in between. Love is our foundation. Love is what keeps us from being shaken, no matter what is going on around us. Love is what we have, and love is who we are. AND love is what we do. Love is WHAT we do, and love is WHY we do. But that's the next Rant series...