OVERFLOWING OUTPOURING OF GOD’S LOVE

September 1, 2024

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His loveG26 into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Romans 5:5 (BSB)

love of God . . . poured out. God’s love for us (cf. v. 8) has been lavishly poured out to the point of overflowing within our hearts

MacArthur Study Bible note on Romans 5:5

When God pours out His love, it is not a mere trickle or even a barrel full. God’s love for us is a powerful waterfall, continually flowing through believers in the person of His Holy Spirit. We are to share that overflowing love with others and never try to dam up the flow, i.e. quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). We are not designed to hold the love just for ourselves but to allow it to flow through us to others. The Holy Spirit is described by Jesus in John 7:38 (NLT), “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” The love of God that we share with others is sincere and cannot faked. “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them” (Romans 12:9a). When the authentic, unconditional love of God invades our hearts, we must share it with other people (unbelievers as well as brothers and sisters in Christ) or explode!

If your love for others seems to be down to a trickle, you need to return to the Source of that love. It is an indication that your relationship to the Lord Jesus may not be on track, and the flow of His love is obstructed. Perhaps there is unconfessed sin blocking the channel of blessing like silt in a river. 1 John 1:9 is the remedy for the blockage: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus said people would know we belong to Him when they see our love for one another (John 13:35). Take stock of how well you are demonstrating God’s love to others, both believers and those who need to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. How can you demonstrate His love today?

Father, help us to never be guilty of quenching the Holy Spirit instead of allowing Him to flow freely through us. May the evidence of His presence—the Fruit of the Spirit, beginning with love—be a consistent testimony of Your grace in our lives.