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Glory · God the Father
God's love is not something we must earn fresh each morning; it was given once and for all at the cross, and the Spirit pours it into our hearts. We experience it day to day in the Shepherd's care, in the Father's delight sung over us, and by renewing our minds to His tender affection, then we live out of that love toward others. It is received, remembered, and reflected.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/how-do-i-experience-the-love-of-god-day-to-day · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Romans 5:1-11
As you read: The ground: Christ died for us while we were sinners, and the Spirit pours God's love into our hearts.
1Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
2through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance;
4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:
5and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die.
8But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.
10For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
11Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Psalms 23
As you read: The daily care of the Shepherd: provision, leading, comfort, and goodness and mercy following all our days.
1Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
Zephaniah 3:14-20
As you read: God in the midst of His people, quieting them with His love and rejoicing over them with singing.
14Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem.
15Yahweh has taken away your judgments. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst. You will not be afraid of evil any more.
16In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.”
17Yahweh, your God, is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
18I will remove those who grieve about the appointed feasts from you. They are a burden and a reproach to you.
19Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you, and I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honor, whose shame has been in all the earth.
20At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says Yahweh.
Ephesians 3:14-21
As you read: Paul prays we would be strengthened to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love.
14For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
16that 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;
17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Paul locates the proof of love in the past, finished work of Christ: 'God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,' and John says, 'In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.' We do not experience God's love by making ourselves lovable today; we experience it by believing the love He showed once at the cross, which never recedes. The feeling may fluctuate; the fact does not.
“For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:6-8
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 John 4:10
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”John 3:16
“But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:8
Paul adds the dimension of felt experience: 'hope doesn't disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.' The love is not only a doctrine to be studied but a gift to be savored, and the Spirit is the one who makes it vivid. Paul prays that we would be 'strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man,' so that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith and we may 'know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge,' filled with all the fullness of God.
“and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”Romans 5:5
“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 Christ 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 saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”Ephesians 3:16-19
“But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:8
Psalm 23 is the hymn of a life held by love: 'Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing... He restores my soul,' and 'surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life.' Jesus tells us not to be anxious because our Father feeds the birds and 'Aren't you of much more value than they?' The everyday mercies of sleep, food, and breath, the people and graces we did not earn, are the love of God in a low and constant key, present every single day.
“Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”Psalm 23:1-3
“Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.”Psalm 23:6
“Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?”Matthew 6:25-26
“It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”Lamentations 3:22-23
Zephaniah gives a staggering picture of God's nearness: 'Yahweh, your God, is in your midst... He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.' Not a distant approval but a rejoicing, singing delight over His people. We experience this as we preach it to ourselves and 'be still, and know that I am God,' letting the truth of God's delight settle where our fears have lived.
“Yahweh, your God, is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”Zephaniah 3:17
““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.””Psalm 46:10
“Yahweh appeared of old to me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.”Jeremiah 31:3
“It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”Lamentations 3:22-23
The love we receive is meant to become the love we give. John's chain is the rule of the Christian life: 'We love him, because he first loved us,' and, 'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.' Paul calls us to 'walk in love, even as Christ also loved you.' We experience God's love day to day as we receive it at the cross, savor it by the Spirit, see it in daily mercies, preach its delight to our hearts, and spill it over onto the people God puts in our path.
“We love him, because he first loved us.”1 John 4:19
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.”1 John 4:7
“Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.”Ephesians 5:1-2
“Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.”1 John 4:11