Introduction
The Bible is: A love letter from God to us. A love manual from God for us.
- “God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) “Nothing can separate us from His love” (Romans 8:38).
- All other commandments summed up: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:9).
- John, in his first epistle made his point loud and clear, mentioning love 46 times in one short epistle.
But if love is everywhere, why is it so hard to live out? Why is there war, prejudice and daily strife? Because we aren’t the only ones who know love is God’s highest priority. The Scripture calls the adversary “the deceiver.”
If love is God’s greatest hope for humanity, you better believe it’s the enemy’s favorite target.
Main Text: Ephesians 3:14–21
- Paul prays for experiential knowledge of love that surpasses intellectual knowledge.
Features of Love That Surpasses
- Size & Scope
God’s love dwarfs ours, not because we don’t love, but because He is infinite and we are finite.
- Vigilance
“He neither slumbers nor sleeps.” We slumber and sleep.
- Precision
When we ask for bread, He doesn’t give a stone. Even when we mistake the stone for bread, He knows better.
He sees the starved regions of our hearts, the places we don’t even know to name.
And it’s new every morning, because we’re new every morning and no two days are the same.
- Changelessness
“Time is filled with swift transition…” Everything changes. But His love is unchanging and unshakable.
It is the love that stays after everyone else leaves the room.
God thinks you’re adorable, not just tolerable.
Beautiful, not just bearable.
Perfect, not just passable.
It’s the love that fuels our love.
The Nature of Love: Multiplying, Not Diminishing
“Your love for someone else does not mean you love me less.”
We often treat love like it’s money, finite, counted, portioned out. As if each act of affection requires subtraction elsewhere. But real love, healthy love, divine love, it behaves more like a flame. One candle lighting another does not lose its light; the room only gets brighter.
When I see LaVern’s love, how she cares for her friends and family, how considerate she is, I’m not witnessing less love for me. I’m witnessing more evidence of a heart capable of sustaining the warmth we’ve known all along. That kind of heart doesn’t run out
So, let’s not confuse divided attention with diluted affection.
God is the Original Flame. He is the Source of all light and love. His love is not diminished by sharing it. Because He is infinite, He can light the candles of every person on the planet.
As humans we are limited by time, energy and attention. We can’t light everyone’s candle, but we can light the candles of those in our various communities: family, neighbors, work.
Our love doesn’t have to be exclusive.
Conclusion
His love knows no sleep, has no limit and never expires.
It is love that surpasses knowledge,
That meets us in every transition,
That brings fresh mercy every day.
And inspires the love we share.
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