OVERWHELMING, OVERFLOWING LOVE

March 16, 2022

And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflowG4052 with loveG26 for one another and for everyone else, just as our loveG26 for you overflows . . .

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (BSB)

May the Lord flood you with an unending, undying love for one another and for all humanity, like our love for you

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (VOICE)

G4052 – περισσεύω perisseúō, per-is-syoo’-o; from G4053; to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous; also (transitively) to cause to superabound or excel:—(make, more) abound, (have, have more) abundance (be more) abundant, be the better, enough and to spare, exceed, excel, increase, be left, redound, remain (over and above).

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Exponential Love: Paul’s insistence on love as the chief characteristic that defines the church’s fellowship is clearly portrayed here. Note the words translated “increase” and “abound” (1 Thess. 3:12). The Greek words are pleonazō and perisseuō respectively. Both terms carry the idea of supra-abundance; that is, having more than enough, a running over. Using both words may seem to be redundant, but it is Paul’s way of emphasizing the fact that believers should love one another.

Vine’s Expository Bible Notes

Every positive attribute the Christian exhibits begins with the Lord and circles back to Him. He is the one who endows us, floods us, drowns us in His perfect love, thus enabling us to love one another within the body of Christ. Then this love superabounds, overflows, grows exponentially enabling us to share the love of Jesus with non-believers—“everyone else” or “all humanity”—as well as toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Remember: This type of love is not a gush of emotion or warm fuzzy feeling. It is a deliberate choice of the will to demonstrate the love of God to others. It is bestowing compassion regardless of the other person’s deservedness or reaction—to love whether the person is “lovely” or seems “loveable” or not. Recall studying exponents in mathematics. If you have 210 (two to the tenth power), it is 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2=1024. Paul prayed that God would grow our Christ-like love exponentially! Pray to have this overflowing love. Pray this for your biological and spiritual children. As the song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

Father, please cause our love for Your “framily” to overflow and superabound to show love to non-believers in order to point them to You, the Source of our love.