Session 2

This is a story of overflowing love

From The Overflowing Life: A 14-Day Devotional

Have you ever loved someone so much you just couldn’t hold it back?

Your cheeks flush when she laughs at your jokes. You erupt in cheers when your child hits the high note or lands the jump they’ve practiced all year. When we love someone fully and completely, we can’t contain how we feel. It overflows from the deepest part of who we are.

We were made to let love overflow. It’s a trait passed to us from our heavenly Father. God uses the word “abounding” to describe Himself — He abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 86:15).

God’s character and actions show a Father who overflows with love and wants that for us.

God demonstrates His overflowing love in this: He sent Jesus into the world to bring us back into relationship with Him (John 3:16). Jesus, though fully God, emptied Himself of divine privileges and died in our place. Jesus saw the results of His sacrifice and was satisfied, the Father was glorified, and the world was forever changed (Philippians 2:6-11, Isaiah 53:11).

This is what happens when God’s love overflows through us.

As our faith and trust in Jesus grow, so does our love for Him. Being rooted and established in love, we begin to grasp “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17-18). It’s more than we can contain.

As God’s love overflows from us, we get joy. God gets the glory. And the world benefits as the church is built and God’s family grows.

Reflect:

• If as imperfect parents and spouses we know what it’s like to love, how much more could we give if we let God’s love overflow from us?
• Is there any area of your life where you’ve been holding back love? Why is that? What are you afraid of?
• What’s one way you can let God’s love overflow from you today?