Lavished On

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" I John 3:1 (TNIV)

When you think about the love the Father has for you, does it feel lavish?  When you think about being God's kid do you have a warm, secure feeling on the inside?  I know that sometimes we have to choose to believe the truth because its the truth whether we feel anything or not.  But how can you really believe you're loved, if you've never experienced being loved?

That's why Paul's prayer for the Ephesians (the church who had everything going for it) was, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know (by experience*) this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19 (TNIV) 

For a long time now I've been mesmerized by the thought of being "filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  What must that be like?  It must be possible if Paul is praying it for the Ephesians.  But it's not possible by any other means then growing in our experience of God's love.  You can't behave well enough, pray enough, go to church enough, give enough money or serve enough.  

So maybe we can help each other grow in our experience of God's love by sharing how it is that you experience the love of the Father.  Somehow God's brought me to a place where all I have to do is think about him or read a bible verse about his love or sing a love song and I feel wrapped up in His love all over again.  I'm going to have think for a while about how I first started experiencing God's love.  What about you?