Revelation, not Reason

I do not need to think about myself more.

I certainly do not need to explore my feelings, or thoughts on the matter, either.

What I need, what we all need, is a growing revelation of how great our God is.

And how greatly He loves us.

Have we  not read this before?

Why, yes!

"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 14-19)

Yet too many Christians are still so busy trying to love God.

John puts this argument to rest very easily:

"9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4: 9)

and

"10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  (1 John 4: 10)

Many Christians fail to understand in this passage that Jesus does not stop being our propitiation or mercy seat. He never stops covering for our sins. Never:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

and

"1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 1-2)

Now, in the fourth chapter, we find greater revelation of His love for us - His love, not ours:

"17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. " (1 John 4: 17)

We have not just a new identity, but God our Father sees us as Jesus, for we are now in Christ!

"18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 18)

This fear is about the fear of punishment, the fear of God's wrath. We have nothing to fear, because all of our sins have been punished forever in the body of Jesus Christ!

 19We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

Notice that we love because He first loved us, and as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, we have so much to learn about His love for us, before we ever start loving anyone else!

It all starts with revelation. We cannot figure this stuff out, no more than scientists can understand natural phenomena apart from investigation and experimentation.

For years, though, I kept trying to figure out ways away from my anger and frustration. I kept trying to reason my way out of fear and panic. There is no way out through our reason.

We need revelation, and not just revelation of natural things, but of Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2: 12-14).