Experiencing Extravagant Love in the Everyday

It’s possible! Experiencing extravagant love in your everyday life is what the abundant life in Christ is all about.  God meant for us to experience His extravagant love in our everyday lives. Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on our feelings because this is our reality. Even on our worst days, God’s extravagant love remains.

Recently, I was struck with a new revelation of God’s love. Like never before, I was filled with excitement for this Christmas season. Listen, I love to give gifts…it’s my love language. Seriously, I have to rein in this love to give at Christmas and birthdays because there are so many fun, beautiful gift ideas available.

Wouldn’t you agree? Every day, we are inundated with adorable, sweet, and thoughtful gifts to bestow upon our friends and family. Seemingly endless, there’s a stream of ideas and possibilities coming across our screens and in our feeds. Honestly, when I look at Pinterest, Etsy, etc., I am inspired to create. Digging deep into my creative reservoirs, the hidden crafty-girl in me rises up and screams, “You can do it! Create! Craft! Give!” Unfortunately, reality quickly sets in and I once again become overwhelmed with my inability to actually craft with any sense of dignity. I am most definitely craft-challenged. Yet, the giver in me wants to give…

So, what better gift than the gift of love, God’s extravagant love.

With all of those beautiful ideas floating around in my head and the busyness of the season, I have to make a point of sitting down and pressing into the Presence of God. Ensuring that I have the inner strength needed and the peace which comes only from Him. I want to be intentional. I don’t want to lose sight of the greatest gift He has given and the gifts He continuously gives.

[bctt tweet=”You see for God, gift-giving isn’t a seasonal thing. ” username=”amyelainewrites”]

It’s Who He is. He’s the ultimate Gift-Giver. I love that about the Lord; it doesn’t need to be a special occasion, Christmastime, or even our birthday for Him to lavish us with extravagant gifts. It’s truly an everyday occurrence. He is so good and so sweet. He’s the best gift-giver.

Many of these gifts are found in Ephesians. It is filled with intriguing themes like the mystery of Christ, spiritual gifts, and the Church as the bride of Christ; all celebrations of His love for us. Truly, the greatest demonstration of His love was on the cross, but before that, a baby was born. Jesus came as Emmanuel, God with us.

Love came down on a starry night bringing us the gift of extravagant love and all that it embodies: peace, hope, grace, and mercy.

On and on, God’s extravagant love cannot be measured, nor contained. Paul prays we might know and understand this great love and that’s my prayer for you as well. I want you to know how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the love of the Father is for you. Love came down on that starry, starry night God’s extravagant love brought the gift of peace, hope, love, grace and mercy.  Leaving us full of wonder and  overwhelmed with joy, the King was born!

4 Bible verses focusing on God’s love

God’s love is meteoric, His loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, His verdicts oceanic.

Psalm 36:5

For Your amazing love soars overhead far into the heavens…

Psalm 108:4

As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is His love for those who honor him. Psalm 103:11

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Romans 8:38-39

This extravagant love is my gift to you this year.

My Christmas Prayer for each of us this year:  I pray you receive God’s gifts, with a full awareness of His love and generosity each and every day. I pray you would be mindful, easily recognize, and readily see the little gifts from Him in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

Incredibly, the mysterious plan of God revealed in Jesus Christ is our gift from God. His plan holds endless treasures available to us through Christ. He promises us blessings to enjoy, an inheritance of incorruptible riches, unlimited resources, empowerment, and inner strength.

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth through the Extravagant Love of God

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

May you experience the (extravagant) love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. 

Ephesians 3:14-21 *parentheses mine

Get a glimpse of God’s extravagant love and what it’s capable of doing in our lives

• First, God’s love makes us whole
• Then, His love gives us fullness of life and power
• Furthermore, it provides inner strength
• And, it roots us and establishes us for growth
• Finally, God’s love makes our hearts a home for Christ

In closing, this is the gift I want to give this season: a new, deeper revelation of God’s extravagant love, abundant blessings, and rich inheritance freely given each and every day of the year.

May peace and love with faith be yours from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed. May His grace surround all who love our Lord Jesus the Anointed with a never-ending love. Ephesians 6:23-24

A PRAYER OF EXTRAVAGANT LOVE

Prayer:

Lord, You are the best gift-giver. You know what I need before I even ask. You give what is best for me and always do so in love. Your gifts are abundant, for the benefit of all. Eternal; they never spoil or decay. Your Word is filled with treasures, an endless discovery at my fingertips. Truly, it’s a bottomless goodie bag with deeper knowledge of You and it’s as deep as I am willing to dig. There’s always more of You.

Nothing compares, not silver or gold or rubies or diamonds. Unbelievably, I am in awe because You spare no expense. Without occasion, You keep on giving every day. So sweetly, You sprinkle little gifts throughout my day and even greater miracles only possible by Your mighty hand. Creation surrounds me, beautifully gift-wrapped and new every morning. God, You thrill me with Your extravagant love. Thank You for the most precious gift, Jesus.

Want to know about another amazing gift from God? Read The Simple Gift of Gathering: Grace and God as Emmanuel

Interested in hearing more about the incredibly encouraging new CSB (in)courage Devotional Bible? Listen in to my interview with Denise J. Hughes where we talk about how God’s timing is perfect. When we’re willing, God uses us whether we’re twenty-three or seventy-five!

© Amy Elaine Martinez and AmyElaine.com, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Amy Elaine Martinez and AmyElaine.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.