RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

If I had to choose one attribute of God that produces victory in the lives of believers, I would pick love. The Bible says that “God is love.” The apostle Paul encouraged the Christians at Ephesus to grow in their knowledge of God “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).
If we are going to grow into victorious, vibrant believers, it’s imperative to get to know God in His great love. An old ’50s song says, “I wonder, wonder who … who wrote the book of love.” That question was answered 2,000 years ago. God wrote it, and it’s called the Bible. It’s God’s great love letter to His children. Its main character is the author and creator of perfect love. He loved people no one else cared for. He loved so much that it hurt. He loved even those who hated Him. He loved the lonely, the sick, the poor, the needy, and the rejected. He loved those filled with guilt, anger, bitterness, sin, and hate. Tens of thousands of books have been written about His great love. Multitudes of articles have attempted to describe that love.
The love of God that is found in Jesus is so great that Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to know how long, high, wide, and deep it was. He wanted them to have a personal knowledge of the greatness of Christ’s love. Paul knew that their growth in Christ depended on knowing that love. We too must understand that the degree of our victory in the Christian life is, to a great extent, related to our personal knowledge of God’s love.
When I first came to know Christ, I was consumed with His love. I was overwhelmed with the fact that the creator and sustainer of the universe loved me. Wow! But even more incredible than that was how much He loved me. He loved me enough to allow His own Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for my sins. No one ever loved me like that. His love drove me to share the good news with anyone and everyone who would listen. But as I grew in my faith and understanding of God, I began to notice that I was taking His love for granted. When I presumed on the love of God, I found myself dry and defeated. I needed to be revived.
That’s why I need to drink daily from the fountain of God’s love. It’s a spring that’s everlasting — without beginning or end. The more I drink, the greater its flow. The higher I climb, the greater the thrill of the love of God. The deeper the trials, the sweeter the taste of His love. The wider my circle of influence, the broader His embrace reaches. The longer I walk with Him, the farther I can see the love of God. His love is refreshing. It restores my soul, renews my laughter, and brightens my day. Perhaps that’s why the nineteenth century evangelist D. L. Moody had painted in one of his buildings, “God is love.” He wanted everyone to know that there is a God whose very essence is love.
Come and drink of that fountain! Taste and see that the Lord is good!