As I shared in “My Little Love,” I long to be a vessel of God’s love that is continually being filled with His love – so that it is overflowing, pouring over and splashing on all people around me. Is that not what a vessel is? An instrument to be used by the Master to fulfil His will and purpose? My conclusion in a previous post, “Being a Useful Vessel”, was to:
Focus your life on being a flow of what is given to you. Plan your life on how to be a greater service to those around you, and be a blessing.
Love is being poured into us according to Romans 5:5
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Where does this love come from? It is the supernatural love of Christ demonstrated to us:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Paul, speaking of his ministry and his work, explained that everything he and his companions did was to honor God. Christ’s love for them compelled them, His love controlled their lives, and this new life meant a new way of living for them, in love.
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Cor 5:14-15)
Paul later explains in 1 Thes 2:7 that the love of Christ made them like a devoted parent to other believers:
“But we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother tenderly caring for her own children. Having such a deep affection for you, we were delighted to share with you not only God’s good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us.” (1 Thes 2:7-8 AMP)
“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thes 2:11-12 NIV)
Paul highlights for me that as we consistently receive the agape love that God pours into the vessel of our hearts, this love will supernaturally flow to others as naturally as the love of a parent flows to their children.
Later in 1 Thes 3:12, Paul prays for these same believers:
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
It is the Lord that makes the love increase in our hearts supernaturally, and we then, in the experience of this love, are compelled to love, it overflows from our hearts to the people around us. It is an active flow, continually moving from one to another. Therefore, if your capacity to love has remained unchanged, or even diminished in the last few months, ask God to fill you again with His never-ending supply (My Little Love).
And then in 1 Thes 4:9-10, Paul encourages the Thessalonians to do it even more:
“Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,”
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- They had been taught about God’s love.
- In obedience, they had been filled by God’s love, and that love had flowed over to the people around them. As a result, they actively loved one another in all of Macedonia.
- Now Paul asks them to do so more and more.
There is no limit to the love that can flow from us to other people. It does not run out or reduce, there is an infinite supply of God’s agape love. The vessel that is us must be ready to receive this love and continually pour it out more and more. As more flows from us, more is poured into us so that those around us are blessed. Paul prayed that their capacity to love would increase as they were filled with the Holy Spirit and our capacity to love would increase as we rely on God to fill us.
Let love increase in you more and more
Then this love will flow like a stream of living water (John 7:38), like a fountain green and fresh and impart a blessing to others. Perhaps then, as Christ works in us, we can be like a stream in someone’s life, making it a green pasture and a still water of refreshment (Psalm 23).
Lord, help me never to think or believe that I have reached my capacity for love, but let Your love for me cause my heart to increase, to expand in my ability to love others. Help me to meditate on Your love for me and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, and then help me to look for opportunities to love so that the supernatural power of Your love can flow from me and bless, refresh and bring healing to the people I come across. But more specifically, Lord, let me be like this to my fellow brothers and sisters first; let love flow from each of us as we refresh and build each other up in the faith, strengthening each other in the Lord. Build up the unity between us in love, like a family of believers like we should be, so that the world will know that You love us and long for their hearts too.
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