Love Abounding

 

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. (Philippians 1:9 [NIV])

            “Love,” some say, “I understand all about it.” Others may disagree and say it confounds them. Love, without understanding its basis, is just another word whose meaning may change with the times. Paul had a particular and perfect standard in mind when he wrote his letter to the church at Philippi.

            The starting conjunction in verse nine requires us to understand what Paul said earlier in the letter. In verse three, he said he thanked God for the Philippian believers and prayed with joy because of their partnership with him in the gospel. Verse six tells us the basis for Paul’s prayer. It says, “Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul understood God would complete the work He began in them upon Jesus’ return. Because of his close relationship with God, he understood what God begins in a person He completes. God is the basis for love.

            With verse nine, Paul stated what God would perfect and how and why He would complete it. His prayer spoke about the Philippians’ love, knowledge, and depth of insight. Upon looking at these words further, we understand the word “love” comes from the Greek word agape. Agape is love defined by God because it comes from God. Agape love is part of God’s character. Nothing changes it. God’s love is pure, true (Psalm 86:15), faithful (Psalm 107:8-9), and unending (1 Chronicles 16:34) like Himself. John stated in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 the love of God is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, rejoices with truth, protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, and never fails. When Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9, “This is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more,” he meant may the love of God, that overflows abundantly to you from Him, grow in you and overflow more and more from you. The love of God in a believer occurs because that person prefers to love Him above his or herself. This Christian chooses to love God, which means growing to know Him more by listening to Him, studying His word, praying to Him, and obeying Him. Paul prayed the Philippian believers preferred to love God more than any other earthly thing, including themselves, their families, their aspirations, and their stuff. This love, Paul prayed for them, would abound. It would exceed and overflow in abundance from God’s overflowing love.

            This love would abound more and more because of their knowledge and depth of insight. The knowledge Paul wrote about is what they would gain firsthand from a relationship with God because of their preferred love for Him. Paul said this knowledge would come from walking daily in close communion with God. It comes from a growing experiential knowledge about God and from God. God’s love would abound from each believer because of His love for them and his or her love for God. God is the source of agape love and the giver and growth of it. The growth of agape love would cause a growth of knowledge about God, divine knowledge. This knowledge includes who God is, was, and always will be, what He has done, and the relationship each person can have with Him through Jesus. The depth of knowledge Paul wrote about was divine knowledge about God.

            The depth of insight about which Paul wrote is God’s ethical laws. Knowing God’s ethical laws and obeying them is a growth process that leads to purity and blamelessness, sanctification. When a person’s love grows for God and other people, sanctification of the person (growth as a Christian) occurs. Sanctification is the growth of holiness. Holiness comes from righteousness as given by God upon a person’s profession of faith, upon forgiveness each day as a person repents and confesses his or her sins to Him, and as that person strives to live by His ethical laws. God gives the ethical laws and the power to live by them, like He gives His love. God can give ethical laws because He absolutely is righteous and holy. Morality emanates from Him. God enables each believer to love Him more and more and to live with a growing depth of insight into His moral laws. The Christian must seek Him and ask for His strength to stand strong in his or her faith. This standing firm for God grows and shows the person’s love for God and other people. It refines the character of the believer. God gives insight from His moral laws to Christians about what is best. In that action, He refines the person by removing the dross of secularity from him or her. This discerning and purifying is sanctification growth. This process continues until the day of Christ’s return to earth to claim His followers.

            Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians and prayed their love would abound more and more from the source of love, God, and overflow abundantly from them to God and others because of their growing relationship with Him and their understanding of His moral laws. God gives the love that grows and the knowledge of Him and His ethical laws. He enables Christians to have His love and to live morally. God gives the power to live as His child in a sinful world. He is the source for love and morality. Paul wrote a Christian’s abounding love, knowledge of Him, and depth of insight bring glory to and praise of God.

            How far have you walked on the road with Jesus in your discipleship? Did you trust in Jesus and confess your sins, but not return to Him? Did you believe and confess, then get trapped trying to get the best things the world offers? Did you profess faith in Jesus and follow Him with the rest of your life? A Christian’s journey is a marathon. Your commitment to God is forever. Have you been faithful to Him? God’s love is always faithful, true, pure, and righteous. He asks you to keep walking with Him day by day and year by year. Stand firm. Run resolute. Let your love abound more and more in the knowledge of and depth of insight in God. 

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! (Philippians 4:1 [NIV])

Resounding through Millennia

“I will praise the Lord and may everyone on earth bless His holy name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:21 [NLT]

Psalm 145 is a praise psalm by David. In this, if we just look at it peripherally, most of us will only see David praising God. Yet, if we dive into this psalm upon which people wrote hymns and contemporary songs, we will find David had several reasons for writing this psalm. Yes, most of all, he wrote it to sing praises to God. But Davidic psalms usually explain why he cried out or sang to the LORD. This psalm is no exception in that regard. There are two more things David did in this psalm. He commanded people to praise God, and he explained to every person who read, heard, or sang this psalm who the LORD God is and why we should praise and exalt Him..

David began this this psalm and ended it twenty-one verses later with the purpose of this psalm. He said, “I will exalt You, my God and King, and praise Your name forever and ever. I will praise You every day; yes, I will praise You forever.” [NLT] He meant, “God, I will lift up Your name with my heart, mouth, and spirit. I will magnify You and not me.” David then said twice for emphasis that he would praise God now, every day, and forever. He knew Who is greater than him and he knew of his salvation. God anointed David for an eternity with Him. David’s hope, love, thanks, and awe reverberated throughout this psalm and his being.

David didn’t end this psalm with this basic statement of praise. He continued by explaining why he would always exalt and praise God. David said twice in verse three, “God is great.” Though no exclamation points note David’s declaration, we can understand he was very excited in his praise and exaltation because he commanded people of the next generations to tell about God and proclaim Him, too (vs. 4). David wanted a resounding, rolling proclamation of praise and exaltation to occur over the centuries and millennia by all people.

David then explained what he did with his understanding of God. He said in verse five he meditated on who God is and what He had done. He then declared he would proclaim about these and God’s goodness. David taught everyone who read, heard, or sang this song, we should exalt and praise God with our hearts and lips and then carry it into our every day lives with meditation and proclamation. By meditating, we keep God, His covenant with us, and our resultant obedience to Him forefront in our minds and hearts.

Understand this next part; this is important. David said he exalted, praised, meditated on, and proclaimed God so everyone will share the story of His wonderful goodness and sing with joy about His righteousness (vs. 7). He understood each person is a sinner and separated from God, but God loves all of us and wants us to know about Him so we can come to know Him personally and accept the salvation He offers. David was evangelistic in this psalm. When a person is in a personal relationship with God, that person, too, will want to exalt, praise, meditate on, and proclaim God and His greatness and goodness.

After this point, in verses eight to seventeen, David taught later hearers, readers, and singers about God-who He is and what He has done and will do. Interspersed between each set of statements about God, he told the response of people upon learning about each aspect and act of God.

·       Vs. 8-9 – The LORD is merciful, compassionate, slow to anger, loves faithfully, is good to everyone, and showers compassion on all His creation.

o   Vs. 10-12 – All creation will thank the LORD and His faithful followers will praise Him. They will speak of His glorious kingdom, give examples of His power, tell of his mighty deeds, and about the majesty and glory of His reign.

·       Vs. 13a – David ended this section by explaining God’s kingdom is eternal and He will rule/reign forever, through the lives of anyone who ever lived and would ever live.

Ø  Vs. 13b-14 – The Lord keeps His promises, is gracious in all He does, and helps the fallen, weak, and weary.

o   Vs. 15a – Every person who looks to God in hope will receive all they need.

Ø  Vs. 15b-16 – God will provide for all needs of those who hope in Him. He will satisfy their need for food and drink.

v Vs. 17 – God is righteous in everything He does.

o   We can trust in Him taking care of us, loving us, being kind, and being faithful.

§  Vs. 18 – Because of God’s righteousness and kindness, He is close to those who call on Him in truth, those who are genuine in their desire to know Him.

§  Vs. 19 – Because of God’s righteousness and kindness, He grants the desires (about what one speaks to Him) of those who fear Him. He hears their cries for help and rescues them.

§  Vs. 20 - Because of God’s righteousness and kindness, the Lord protects those who love Him, and destroys the wicked.

In this psalm, David stated why God is great and why he praises Him. He said he wanted everyone to realize what God’s actions and attributes are. David said in Psalm 145 God is:

                        Majestic         Glorious                    Splendid                    Merciful            

                        Righteous       Compassionate         Slow to anger            Faithfully loving

                        Powerful        Faithful                      Gracious                    Good 

                        Provider         Kind                           Fearful/Awesome   

                        Did awe-inspiring deeds                Did mighty deeds    Helps the fallen                                                  Has an everlasting kingdom          Rules over all generations

                        Lifts the weary                     Is close to those who call on Him in truth

                        Answers the prayers of those who fear/revere Him

For these, David said in verse one he would exalt God and praise His name forever. Because of who God is and what He’s done, is doing, and would do, he wanted everyone to know about Him in truth and to have a personal relationship with Him. To emphasize David’s stance and commitment, he restated in verse twenty-one what he said in verse one, “I will praise the LORD.” He added his own desire, his prayer to God and plea to all who heard, read, or sang this psalm, that everyone on earth over all millennia would desire to praise God, too, because they know Him in truth through having a personal relationship with Him.

What may have seemed only a song in your mind when you read Psalm 145, hopefully has more meaning. It does for me. What is your response to this psalm? Do you desire to praise and exalt God, and proclaim Him to other people so they can come to know your faithful, loving, almighty God? We sing praises to God to recall who He is and what He’s done, to teach others how and why to praise God, and to proclaim about God and His greatness and goodness to non-Christians so they can have a relationship with Him, too.

Have you praised and exalted God today?

Have you led and/or taught others how to praise God?

Have you used your praise of God to tell someone who doesn’t know Him personally about Him so they would desire to be in a relationship with Him?

Each of these come from love in our heart – love of God and love of other people.

What will you do now?

Lord, You are great and I am not. I may have fooled myself to think I had everything under control, but really, it’s all Your doing. Lord, forgive me for walking in my strength with my plans. Help me to always take the time to praise You. By doing this, I remember what You have done and are doing in my life. By doing this, my voice will resound with praise of who You are and Your goodness, then others will hear, remember to praise You, and/or come to know You personally for themselves. Lord, whatever I have You have given me. Whatever I’ve done, You’ve taught me and made it possible. Lord, You are great, loving, faithful, and righteous; I bow to You and Your plans. Help me remember to take time to come to You, meditate on You, Your word, and Your actions, and to praise You. Stay first place in my life. Amen.

Psalms Like David's

When I think of God, I wonder how I can even consider His vastness, His greatness?

How can I begin to put into feeble words who He is?

How can I say anything that is new that David and the other psalmists have never written?

Then I realize God did not ask me to write something new about Him; He asked me to write about Him.

Each person knows just a part of God. No one can ever say everything about Him,

But we each can speak about His attributes and character He revealed to us.

To do this out loud, publicly, requires courage and transparency.

To do this requires the Spirit of God to lead us into and through this psalm.

I can hear through history David singing, “Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth,”

And my heart sings and soars.

I recall his singing “The rivers clap their hands and the earth sings for joy,”

And my soul spirals with joy.

Then I sit and I recall who God has been for me and who His Word says He is,

And I fall to my knees crying, “Holy is the Lord God almighty!”

I cannot bear to be in His presence while standing

But must lay prostrate before Him, my great God almighty.

His breath blows my way;

I feel its heat and know I am unworthy to even feel it pass.

God’s eyes look upon me and I am undone to my soul;

His righteousness is purer than even the cleanest white I can imagine.

At this point, I hear Isaiah cry out his psalm, “I am a man of unclean lips.”

Yet here I lay in His presence proclaiming my King, the Lord Almighty!

His voice calls out, thunder tears the skies, and torrents rain down from His heavens,

Yet still I live to behold His greatness and tell of His mercies.

His commands boom forth and nature instantly obeys; He is Creator and Master.

With this, how can I still try to deny Him and go my own way?

His hands stretched out and stars, planets, and moon became fixed in place.

And I deigned to think I could choose my place in this world?

The gentleness of His nail-scarred hands surprises me by His touch of my tear-stained face.

How could I ever have doubted His love?

His heart beats louder than any cacophonous drum calling each person to come.

My heart beats as reverb; it can do nothing else.

Though fear breaks out in my heart and mind upon hearing its beat,

His “Peace, be still” calms my soul and beckons to me.

Then in my fear and the courage I can muster,

I raise my eyes to dare look at this great King.

What I see and recognize in an instant

Are the tears flowing down His face.

The sorrow and pain, I study, reveals

God sees what I’ve done and knows how I feel.

He recognizes the pain I brought on myself

Also seeing what others did when I couldn’t seek help.

His understanding is fathomless, nothing hidden from Him;

Yet love, mercy, forgiveness flows o’er me and then,

My breath catches, heart skips, I feel

Fresh breezes, washed cleaned, and redeemed.

Renamed as God’s child; Remade like new.

History is wiped away and I must tell you.

Lord God Almighty is more than we’ve heard;

He’s greater than what pen spoke and louder than said words.

He’s boundless, magnificent, more powerful than we think.

God is Creator, Protector, Redeemer, and King.

He’s always present, always loving, transcendent above all things.

He is love defined, descended, then raised upon a tree.

God’s unstoppable, undefeatable, risen ever to reign.

He’s the King of the beginning, middle, end through eternity

King of kings? He’s more than that.

He transcends thought, space, and time.

God’s undefinable, victorious, my Savior divine.

I may not sing like angels or write psalms like David,

But I know always forever, My Lord, My King, My Jesus is mine!

-Gail Suratt Davis

Yahweh's Anoki Statements

“God, furthermore, said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.’” Exodus 3:15 (NASB)

In Exodus 3:14, Moses saw a burning bush blaze with flames that did not consume it. It did not burn to ash. His curiosity wanted to see this amazing thing. As Moses approached the flaming bush, God called to him telling him he stood on holy ground. Moses, taught by his mother who wet-nursed him at the request of Pharaoh’s daughter, learned about the God of the Hebrew people, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he learned about the gods of the Egyptians when the hired tutor taught him. Moses was a very educated man. God had a purpose for his life.

In this story, after the burning bush, God told Moses he was the one He chose to send to bring His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. He told Moses to speak with the Hebrew elders and Moses asked whom should he say sent him to them. Verse fourteen is God’s answer to Moses. God told him to tell the Hebrew elders, “I AM WHO I AM.” This “I am” statement is greater than the anoki studies learned from the book of Genesis. In those passages, God told Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Abimelech about Himself in relation to them. He explained a part of His nature to them. In those passages, God was immanent; He was personal. He gave Abraham a promise of an heir when Abraham grieved the lack of an heir. God added that he would be the father of many descendants and nations. He explained He would be Abraham’s shield-his King, Protector, and faith. For Isaac and Jacob, God reiterated this promise, His covenant, He made with Abraham and added other facets of His nature. He said He would provide for them, be their Victor, and is all-knowing and all-powerful. To Abimelech, not from the line of Abraham, God revealed His knowledge and power. He revealed different facets of His nature to people to help them know Him and/or to deepen their relationship with Him.

The I AM whom Moses encountered in the burning bush was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as He said in Exodus 3:13, & 15-17. God identified Himself to Moses in verse fourteen as I AM WHO I AM. This name comes from the Hebrew clause ‘ehyeh ‘aser ‘ehyeh. “I am the One who is and who will be what you will need” is what this clause means. God’s revealing of His nature, His characteristics, to people with anoki statements in the Old Testament helps define for people who He is and will be for His children whenever they need Him. It’s not that He is becoming more “God,” but He, as part of who He is, will utilize whatever part of His nature and character is needed to rescue, redeem, provide for, heal, and protect, etc. His children. I AM is immanent; He is personal to each human. He cares and so intervenes in the lives of people.

With Exodus 3:15, God answered Moses’ question. Moses asked Him by whom and for what purpose should he tell the Hebrew elders he went to them.  God called Himself I AM. Moses asked for a name. God named himself in verse fifteen. He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.” Did you catch what God said? He said, “The LORD…This is My name forever.” The Hebrew word translated as LORD in this verse and wherever in the Bible you see LORD written all in capital letters is Yhvh. No one knows exactly how to pronounce this word. The Israelites felt the name of God was so sacred no one should speak or write it, so they noted it with a tetragrammaton. The Hebrew language of the Old Testament did not have vowels in its alphabet, hence the spelling of God’s name with no vowels. English translators of the Old Testament added the vowels, so English-speakers could read the LORD’s name. They wrote it in the Old Testament as Yahweh. In the New Testament, the English translation of the Greek word for LORD is Jehovah. The important thing to remember is God gave Moses His name. He named Himself Yhvh (Yahweh). Most often whenever an Old Testament character spoke about God helping him or her, they spoke about Yhvh, the immanent (personal) God. The One Who is as near to you as your next breath.

Yhvh is the One who interacts with humanity in the Old Testament. He is the one who makes the anoki statements and says, I am your shield to Abraham (Genesis 15:1), I am the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 26:24 and 28:15), and I know your heart and have kept you from sinning against me (to Abimelech, in Genesis 20:6). Yahweh (Yhvh) used anoki statements when He spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:12,14, & 16-17. In verse twelve, He said He would be with Moses and the Israelites. In verse fourteen, Yahweh told Moses to tell the Israelites He sent Moses to them and would be with them. With verse sixteen, Yahweh told the Israelites and Moses He is the One most concerned about them. Yahweh revealed His nature to Moses in verse seventeen as the Deliverer/Savior/Redeemer and Provider.

In each of these verses, Yahweh made the anoki (I am) statements that revealed to humanity another part of His nature/character. These individual parts of his character did not singly define Him. Yahweh is the whole of His being. He is self-existing, or as translated by the Jews, He is the “existing One.” Yahweh was before time was created, is now, and will be after time ends. He defines time, which is His creation, just as He defines what is human, cow, serpent, earth, star, moon or any other created thing. Yahweh has always been and will always be. He made “I am” statements to Old Testament people to reveal Himself to them to begin, restore, or grow a relationship. Yahweh, our Elohim (God), draws people to Himself because He desires to have a relationship with us. His character of love shows the different parts of His nature (to provide, keep, protect, save, redeem, forgive, lead, etc.) to people.

God is holy. His love is pure. Humanity is tainted by self-interest and self-serving to the extent we do things against other people and God to get what we want. This selfishness is sin and creates a wall between Yahweh and us because He is holy, and we are not. Holiness and sin cannot be in the same place. Because of that, God provided from the beginning of time a way for humanity to receive cleansing from sin and unholiness. The way He provided was through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus, as the judgment for and cleansing of our sins. Yahweh loves us enough to provide this self-sacrificing gift, so we can be in a relationship with Him.

The apostle John said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) God did that for humanity, for all people. Yahweh, the always “existing One”, desires to be in a relationship with you. He has revealed Himself to you through the Bible, teaching, preaching, and in personal (immanent) ways. These personal ways are like when He provides you a job and food, or keeps you safe in hazardous situations, or protects your reputation, or gives you a family. God shows Himself to each of us personally for each of our individual needs through the different attributes of His nature. He has been in your life providing, protecting, leading, gifting, etc, hoping you would see Him and desire to be in a relationship with Him. These were His anoki statements to you. Yahweh made it possible. Will you accept His love, forgiveness, and salvation? God is waiting for you to open the door to your heart and life to Him.

God, so often I have worked hard to give myself something or provide for my family. I have not recognized you as Yahweh, the existing One who loves me and wants a relationship with me. I have not recognized You as the One who has given me everything I have, protected me, and guided me. I have taken all the glory and praise. You have made Your anoki statements in my life and I have not listened to You. Please forgive me for my self-centeredness. Forgive me for my sins and keeping my back turned to You. Lead my heart so I desire a relationship with You. Teach me how to grow more like You. Lord, I surrender myself and all I have to You.