KNOWING GOD

GOD IS GALATIANS 5:22-23

I'm always on a quest to know God better so I often think about who he is and what his nature is. In the midst of one of those times, it dawned on me that the scripture in Galatians about the fruit of the Spirit was a perfect description of God. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."

WHO IS HE?

Now, maybe that's not new to you. Maybe you're going, "Duh?" But it was a wonderful revelation to me and I'm sharing it for others who, like myself, need to be told in plain language that the only way our Father God reveals himself to those of us who are blessed to be his children is ...

by loving us,
finding joy in his relationship with us,
speaking peace to us and seeking to create peace in us,
suffering long with us when we are unloving to others,
being kind to us in all things,
bringing good into our lives,
faithfully doing what he said he would do,
never being rude to us but gentle instead,
and
exercising self-control when we are rude to him and others

ASK HIM

If you can't imagine God in this way, then now is a good time to ask him to reveal himself to you according to Galatians 5:22 and 23. He will be faithful to do so: that's his job description!

Photo by Clay Irving

HOW TO BE FILLED WITH GOD'S FULLNESS

…that he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory,
that you may be strengthened with power
through his Spirit in the inward man;

that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith;
to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be strengthened to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know Messiah's love which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19 HNV

BEGIN BY TRUSTING JESUS

Look at the first verse of this scripture passage as an introduction, as if Paul is saying, "this is how you become strengthened with the Spirit's power:" Everything that follows describes the process that leads us to walking in God's fullness. It is a progression that begins with trusting Jesus, then experiencing his love and then being immersed in it. For this to happen, we must have a mindset of submitting ourselves to God, letting Him live through us rather than our living (and doing) for God apart from submission.

BECOME IMMERSED IN HIS LOVE

Being filled with God's fullness is the result of being progressive strengthened with the Spirit’s power. As we become stronger and stronger in the Spirit and his revelation of Jesus' love, we experience that love to such a degree that we are immersed in it. We become aware that his love is above us, below us, in front of us, behind us, and on each side of us.

INVITE JESUS IN

These verses are a bit complicated but the foundational truth is that this process of strengthening and being filled with God's fullness occurs as we invite Jesus into our lives day-by-day, moment by moment. This is done by faith, not feelings. Faith rises in our hearts as we choose to trust Him one problem and one issue at a time.

Photo by fahed_awan