Our hearts need to encounter the love of God. It’s not just about good theology, as important as that is. We need to experience God in order for there to be authentic transformation. Whether that experience comes in a dramatic emotional encounter or whether it is a series of gentle revelatory moments we need to “taste and see” that God is indeed our loving Heavenly Father.

We are at the Revival Leadership Conference as I write this and today I had the opportunity to share with a friend some of my story of incrementally receiving the love of God. I mentioned that one of the ways that this revelation has recently dawned on my heart is when I realized, in a lightbulb moment in my spirit, that there is something even more significant than forgiveness of sin and justification by faith in the salvation package. At first, he was taken aback by this comment. What can be more profound than being forgiven of all your sins and being made right in God’s eyes?!

In response, I talked about the spirit of adoption that Paul speaks about in Romans 8 and Galatians 4. I mentioned that our heart not only needs to know that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness, but that in addition, we have been adopted into the very family of God; that we are now, in Christ Jesus, children of the Most High God, who also happens to be our wonderful heavenly Daddy!! Here is how John, the beloved, put it: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! – 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

As we grow in our experience of the love of God a few things continue to unfold in our lives:

Our search for significant, belonging and value finds its fulfillment in the revelation that we are unconditionally loved by God our Father. Insecurity and being pushed around by the opinions of others continue to diminish. As important as the approval of others is, the opinion of the most important person in the universe takes first place in our hearts!
Once we become more centred in the realization of who we are in God, clarity concerning our purpose and destiny in life increases. Knowing who we are in God leads to a greater sense of purpose and calling in life.
As we are continually filled with the love of God in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5) we then have more to give away to others around us. So, our vision statement remains, “To walk in God’s love and to give it away …”  We cannot give away something we don’t have.

Holy Spirit, I ask that you would come upon everyone reading this; would you fill them with a fresh revelation of the Father’s love for us. Let them know that you love them the same way that you love Jesus. Amen!