About receiving God's love…
Romans 8:15: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but
you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The
Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are
children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in
his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (NIV)
If we are to truly be the receivers of the Holy Spirit or God's love, we must be
God's children. We must be willing to see God as supreme. We must be willing to see God as
our Father. Our Lord's prayer begins with "Our Father" to show us we need to see
Him as our "Abba, Father." The act of receiving God's love requires we open our
soul up to God's spirit and touch upon our hearts. When we open our lives and hearts to
God, He touches us, He fills us, and He overflows within us. These things happen because
our soul is empty and our soul yearns to be filled. Like a child who is hungry and who
wants something to eat, we are His children. As God's children who have gone astray, we
starve to receive His manna and we thirst to receive His Living Water. To receive His
spirit of love, we must give. We must possess a spirit of giving in order to receive. It
works this way in everyday life. Conversely, and in worldly terms, the more you take, the
more will be taken from you. If you take without other's consent, called stealing, your
freedoms will be taken away from you because you are a thief. If you take the life of
another, called murder, you will be imprisoned or executed. The very opposite of taking
the life of another is the act of giving a person life. We give life by giving
encouragement, giving hope, and giving assurance. It is when we truly give away God's
spirit of love that we truly receive His spirit of love in return.
