I’ve been reading Ephesians 3 every day and this verse has caused me to pause every time: “[that I may] …know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that I may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). To know the love of Jesus is to be filled with all the fullness of God Himself.
I want to see God in the right light, otherwise I won’t be able to understand and see a lot of things correctly. But in order to do this (to grow and mature in our walk with God), we first need to simply KNOW HIM.
Think about your favorite relationships. Whether that’s your spouse or a best friend, there was a season of simply getting to know one another– their likes and dislikes, and their quirks and convictions. In other words, you now know how they’re wired. And yet, it’s an on-going process because there’s always more to learn and see, and love.
The first thing to know about God is He is LOVE.
The Message Translation of Romans 5:8 says, “God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatsoever to him.” This is incredible to me. Not only is God Himself pure love (1 John 4:8) but because it’s who He is, it is also what He does.
Love is God’s character. “[He] is patient and kind. [He] is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. [He] does not demand its own way. [He] is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged. [God] does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. [He] never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT). Anywhere in scripture where you see the word love, you can interchange God there too. It’s who He is. Always.
He is also a GOOD FATHER.
In a world where many either didn’t know their dad or had a very broken relationship with their earthly dad, this is comforting. 1 John 3:1 says, “See what [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted as children of God” (AMP).
Jesus was often ridiculed for calling God His Father but it never deterred Him. He had a close relationship with His Father and as soon as He rose from the dead, He told Mary Magdalene to give this message to the disciples: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). This is the first time Jesus worded it this way. This was obviously in the heart of God all along.
God wanted to make sure we knew we are now included in His family! His is now our Father. The reconciliation Jesus always talked about was now accomplished.
He is a GOOD SHEPHERD.
A shepherd is one who protects, guides, and watches over (whatever has been entrusted to them). In this case, we are the ones God watches over carefully. In fact, He said, “I will search for my sheep myself, and I will look after them. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so I will look after my sheep. I will rescue them on a cloudy and gloomy day from every place where they have been scattered” (Ezekiel 34:11-12, GW).
I love this about God. And although He is rejected every day, it doesn’t stop Him from loving the people He came to save. The Bible calls Him the Shepherd and Overseer of our soul (1 Peter 2:25). I’m thankful He isn’t offended easily. As a Shepherd, He stays near, always ready, always watchful.
And one more quality that can’t be overlooked is that God sees us through the blood of Jesus— not our mistakes. Romans 3:25 says, “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin (by His blood, through faith), to demonstrate His righteousness…” In other words, God never intended for any of us to live on a roller coaster of doubt and insecurity. The devil is the one behind that nonsense.
Psalm 85:13 says, “Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.” The world can be a dangerous place, but because of the blood of Jesus, we can safely maneuver through it by walking hand in hand on the path God made for us.
There’s so much more to see and learn about our Heavenly Father. This is why I’m always pointing you back to His Word. If we only hear the benefits of salvation without a real understanding of God or the position He’s given us in Christ, we will struggle with receiving all He has for us. But when we get to know Him, just for Him, we will be filled with all His fullness.
My prayer is that your heart will long to know Him– more.
