We hear much about God’s love so often that we take it for granted. The most commonly known Bible verse is John 3:16, which describes God’s great love for us. Street preachers shout, “Jesus loves you,” as you hurriedly walk past them. There are thousands of songs and hymns about God’s love. A significant proportion of messages we hear nowadays all mention God’s great love for us.

Is it wrong to talk about God’s love? Absolutely not! But, hearing about God’s love so often can deceive us into thinking we understand it well. In reality, we do not grasp it. But is that really true? Do we really comprehend the depths of God’s love for us?

When we talk about God’s love, it’s not just a comforting thought; it’s supposed to be transformative. I want to show you a few ways you can know whether you have truly comprehended God’s love for you.

Lack of fear

1 John 4:18 (NKJV) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Most people have a fear of some kind—fear of death, rejection, failure, the future, spiders—the list is endless. There are some Christians who are even afraid of the return of Jesus Christ. Crazy, but it’s true.

The truth is that when the love of God is perfected in us, it should give us boldness. This boldness even extends to Judgment Day (1 John 4:17). A child of God must not be afraid of the return of Jesus Christ.

According to scripture, fear arises when a person has not been perfected in God’s kind of love. The more revelation we have about God’s love for us, the less fear we have about anything.

If we have a fear of any kind, it is nothing to be condemned or ashamed about. It is simply a sign that there is room for further maturity in God’s love for us. Have you ever paused to consider what would your life look like if fear didn’t dictate your decisions?

Also, the Apostle John showed that knowing and believing God’s love for us are two different things in verse 16. The issue is that, sometimes, we don’t believe the extent of God’s love for us. We’ve heard it so many times, but we take it for granted that we believe it.

God has demonstrated His love for us by giving us His best – Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). And with Him (Jesus Christ), God has freely given us all things (Romans 8:32). There is nothing good that God has withheld from His beloved children. We just need to believe it.

2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. Fear is not from God. I want to encourage you to aggressively oppose all forms of fear. Power, love and a sound mind rightfully belong to the sons of God. Don’t settle for less than that.

So, ask yourself this. Do you feel that peace that surpasses understanding? Or do you see fear as a companion in your daily journey?

As you ponder your fears, whether they be small or monumental, remember this: God’s love is strong. It is powerful enough to cast out those fears. Today, challenge yourself to confront one fear with a boldness that comes from knowing you are loved beyond measure. Pray for God to reveal His love to you, and watch as fear begins to lose its grip on you. But remember, this love isn’t meant to stop at just overcoming fear. It should flow through you, transforming how you live.

Love for God and others

1 John 4:19-21 (NKJV)
We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

A fruit of believing God’s love for you is that you reciprocate His love to Him. And you love others as He loves you. Loving God and loving people are synonymous. They are both an overflow of receiving His love for you.

For a long time, I wrestled with unforgiveness towards a family member. The pain was deep, and the thought of letting go seemed impossible. But slowly, as I allowed God’s love to heal those wounds, something changed.

I didn’t forgive because they changed or sought my forgiveness; they didn’t. It was God’s love, which I was beginning to understand more fully, that transformed me. This love didn’t just heal my heart. It gave me the strength to extend kindness and compassion towards them. I did this not because of what they could offer in return but because I was growing in this love.

This journey taught me that loving God and loving others are inseparable. They flow from the same source – His love for us. Can you recall times in your life when loving others felt like a natural extension? Did it feel like the love you received from God was overflowing?

When we grasp the love of God, it frees us from wrong attitudes like strife and unforgiveness. It also frees us to sincerely love one another as Jesus does. And Jesus said this is how the world would know that we are His disciples. The mark of a disciple of Jesus Christ is love (John 13:35).

You might struggle to give to God. You might also find it hard to serve Him. This struggle is because you don’t know how much He loves you. Similarly, if you struggle to forgive people, you don’t know how much God loves and has forgiven you.

If you find your heart heavy with unforgiveness, pause and reflect on the love God has shown you. If you find your heart lacking in love for others, pause and reflect on the love God has shown you.

Make a commitment to extend that love to someone today, even if it feels undeserved. Let this be your first step towards mirroring the unconditional love of Christ. Ask God to fill you with His love, so it overflows into every relationship you have. Love doesn’t just stop at our interactions with others. It leads us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with the source of all love.

Fullness of God presence

Ephesians 3:15-19 (NKJV) from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

In Ephesians 3:15-19, Paul prays for the believers to be strengthened by the Spirit so they can grasp the love of Christ, which is beyond mere knowledge. It begins with being strengthened in the inner man by the Holy Spirit. It concludes with being filled with all the fullness of God.

The love of God has several dimensions which transcend natural knowledge. How can you know something that passes natural knowledge?

Imagine standing at the edge of the ocean. Try to comprehend its vastness. That’s what it’s like trying to understand the width, length, depth, and height of God’s love. It’s like trying to count the grains of sand on the beach. Or imagine the light from the stars that have traveled millions of years to reach us.

Imagine truly believing you could be filled with all the fullness of God, as Paul describes. What changes would occur in your life?

This love is not just a concept. It’s an overwhelming flood, a divine presence that fills us. If you’ve ever felt the sun’s warmth on a cold day, that’s a whisper of the warmth of God’s presence. When we lack this fullness, it’s not because God’s love is limited but because our understanding of it is.

We grow in this love not by trying harder. We grow by opening our hearts more to the Holy Spirit’s revelation. His love saturates every part of our being just as the earth soaks up the rain after a long drought.

When was the last time you let God’s love overwhelm you? Did it feel like a flood, washing away all sense of emptiness or lack?

Feeling distant from God’s presence isn’t the end; it’s an invitation to seek more. Dedicate time this week to sit in silence and meditate on the vastness of God’s love as described in Ephesians.

Let this scripture be your prayer, asking for a deeper revelation of His love. Imagine it washing over you like waves, filling you with peace and joy. As you grow in this understanding, you’ll find that fear diminishes, love for others increases, and you are enveloped in the very presence of God, which is the ultimate sign of comprehending His love

Concluding Thoughts

We’ve covered some signs of truly understanding God’s love:

• the casting out of fear
• the overflowing love for God and others
• the fullness of His presence.

Commit each day to live in this love. Challenge fear with faith, love others as you have been loved and let His presence fill you completely.

Let us pledge to know the love of Christ. Let us also walk in His love. We should pray for a deeper revelation. We need to love with His love. Let’s open our hearts to be filled with His presence. God’s love will not just be a comforting thought to us but a transformative force in our lives.