“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
—Ephesians 3:17-18, NIV
Several years ago as I was seeking the Holy Spirit for revelation of His heart and vision for the coming year, I strongly sensed Him saying to me, “Love well.”
After He spoke those profound words to me, the Spirit of God led me to Song of Solomon 2:14: “My dove in the clefts of the rock . . . show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely” (NIV). He seemed to be saying, “Talk to Me out loud. I created your vocal cords so I could hear the beautiful sound of your voice. Tell Me what you are thinking. Seek My heart concerning every detail of your life.”
Loving involves both knowing someone and being known. So to love well we must first receive Yeshua’s love and then express our thoughts to Him. As we practice talking to God each day, we will experience His presence, discern His voice, and see Him respond.
Loving well also includes loving other believers in Jesus. This is very challenging because the church consists entirely of imperfect people! Christians get judged harshly because some think that once we are saved we instantly no longer sin. This is far from the truth. The difference between nonbelievers and followers of Messiah is that believers are saved by Jesus’ blood and our names are written in the Book of Life. We have a new heart that seeks to know the Lord and be transformed from the inside out, but transformation takes a lifetime. Loving well as a follower of Messiah must include a process of receiving Father’s mercy, grace, and unconditional love, and then releasing this love to others.
Finally, to love well we must not only receive Father’s love but also release this profound love to a lost world. Life can be extremely stressful, and people around us are experiencing deep fear, rejection, loneliness, and self-condemnation. Living without the knowledge of Father God results in abrasive, defensive, and polarizing behaviors. Father is calling us to release His unconditional love to those around us so they can find peace in Him.
Beloved, let’s love well and build the kingdom of God!
Yeshua, I open my broken heart and receive the healing balm of Your unconditional love. Use me today to release this life-transforming love to others.
Cynthia Schneider, From Passover to Pentecost (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.
