Tag: overflowing

Let Your Love Increase & Overflow

Let Your Love Increase & Overflow

Our love for ourselves and for other people should be increasing and overflowing as we mature in Christ and in our relationship with Him.  Here are some key Scriptures:

A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  (Mt 22:39 NLT)

We can’t learn to love our neighbor, until we learn to love ourselves—by the grace of God.  God loves us as we are, even though He knows all about our weaknesses and our past.  God’s love is mature and steadfast and doesn’t accept offense.

And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight . . . (Phil 1:9 AMP)

As the verse quoted above says, our love will display itself in greater depths as the years and our experiences in Christ continue.  This will make us better spouses, parents, neighbors, and witnesses for the Kingdom of God.

And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we do for you.  (1 Thes 3:12 CSB)

As we grow in our awareness of God’s steadfast and unfailing love for each one of us, individually, the Lord will trigger a yearning in our hearts to show God’s precious and anointed love to everyone with whom we come into contact. May your joy abound and be shared with everyone you meet!

Be Filled With the Spirit

<strong>Be Filled With the Spirit</strong>

We are instructed in Ephesians to “be filled with the Spirit.”  What should we understand about this command?

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .  (Eph 5:18-20 NKJV, emphasis added)

This passage tells us not to be drunk with wine (which is a form of alcohol, at times referred to as ‘spirits’), but that we should be filled with the Spirit—meaning the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever seen someone who is under the influence of too much alcohol?  They are often out-of-control, and will frequently act in ways which are outlandish and even shocking for them.  In Ephesians, the word dissipation is used which means overindulgence, debauchery, and intemperance.  When such ones recover their sobriety, they may feel ashamed of their actions while they were intoxicated. 

However, when one is “full of the Spirit,” we mean a person has allowed themselves to be controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit.  This often results in our encouraging each other with Scriptures and with spiritual songs, giving praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.  This is a way of overflowing with the joy of the Lord in giving praise and thanksgiving to the Lord who is perpetually worthy to be praised!

Let’s turn back to the Bible and see what other wisdom the Lord would like to share with us.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you.  (Joh 14:26 ISV)

The Holy Spirit will teach us everything that we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3) and will remind us of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me . . .  (Joh 15:26 NASB)

The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of truth, and the Holy Spirit testifies [gives evidence; affirms; confirms] to us about Jesus.  The Holy Spirit teaches us about the love of Jesus for mankind as well as all of His other beautiful attributes.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  (Ac 2:4 NKJV)

One evidence, on the day of Pentecost, of the infilling of the Holy Spirit was the fact that all those who were filled spoke in other tongues [unknown languages, that is, unknown to the speakers].  This experience of speaking in other tongues is still available today to anyone who desires it.  Just ask, by faith, the Holy Spirit to give it to you in Jesus’ Name.  God bless you.

Whiter Than Snow

Whiter Than Snow

Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  (Isa 1:18 NIV)

This Scripture verse is a type of ultimatum from God full of grace and mercy.  The Lord is offering forgiveness and cleansing for the repentant soul.  The color red signifies the deep-rooted nature of sin, and the white indicates purity and innocence which only the Lord can impart.

Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.  (Ps 51:7 CEB)

Purge me with hyssop, with the blood of Christ applied to my soul by a lively faith, as the water of purification was sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, Heb 12:24.  (Source:  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Psalm 51:7)

. . . and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves. 7 We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, 8 which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding.  (Eph 1:6-8 CEB)

The passage above suggests that the blood of Jesus, our Savior, has freed us from the grip of sin, and immersed us in the forgiveness and glorious grace of God.  What an eternal gift of God from the heart of our living God! 

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  (1 Joh 1:7, emphasis added)  All who have accepted Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior have had their souls made whiter than snow.  All we need to do, going forward, is to walk in the light of God’s Word and in fellowship with our fellow believers. All glory to God!

More Than Satisfied

More Than Satisfied

I will satiate the soul of the priests with ABUNDANCE, and My people shall be satisfied with My GOODNESS, says the Lord.  (Ps 36:8, emphases added)

Satiate means to fulfill with more than enough—beyond capacity.  We believers have been called priests by God in Revelation 1:6 and 5:10.  The Lord has given His Word to provide more than enough for His people in every area and in every circumstance!  This is provision to overflowing—even beyond what you need or desire.  Praise God!

Satisfied means to put an end to (a desire, want, need, etc.) by sufficient or ample provision; to give full contentment to.  Our Savior has given His life to provide for every eventuality for us because He loves us.

The God who created everything says that we, His people, will be satisfied with His goodness.  Goodness is defined as:  moral excellence; virtue; generosity; the best part of anything; strength; or excellence of quality. 

Think about this:  we will find complete contentment in the character of God—His goodness, kindness, strength, generosity, and virtue! 

Because God is WITH US (Isa 8:10, Matt 1:23) and because He fights FOR US (Ex 14:25), we can know that the victory is already won.  Best of all, we are on the winning side, thanks to Jesus!  His goodness and faithfulness guarantee that each one of us is more than satisfied.  Glory to God!