Romans 5:5b

"... the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

With all of the awful worldwide news bombarding me from just about every angle these days, I feel that I want to curl up in a warm bed and receive a good dose of God's strokes of love. But how can I get more of His love than He's already poured out? I can't!

The greatest love anyone can demonstrate for another is that one lay down their life for their friends (cf. John 15:13; Romans 5:8). Jesus tells me that I am His friend (cf. John 15:14), IF I do what He commands. This love sounds conditional, but if I read further Jesus reminds me that I did not choose Him, but He chose me (cf. John 15:16). And when He chose to love me and, furthermore, die for me, He also promised to never leave me alone (without Him), but rather to give me a part of Him (the Helper) that would stay with me forever (cf. John 14:16).

Here, in this passage out of Romans, Paul reminds me that God's love is ever over and in me with the Holy Spirit poured out and into my heart. In fact, it overflows (cf. Psalm 23:5). And it's through the Holy Spirit that I'm enabled to do what Jesus commands. So, the whole of His love is circular, but it always starts with Him.

I usually think that love cannot be measured. But God's love, to a certain degree, is quantifiable (although also infinite). I possess a significant portion of Him in my heart. It's as if the greatest love of my earthly life, Victoria, were constantly by my side, never letting go of my hand, but with God He's under my skin and cannot escape or let go. Today I am reminded of God's inestimable love given to me in the Spirit. Yes, I need constant reminding that I am, in deed, the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in me (cf. I Corinthians 3:16). That's not a stroke of love, that's a covering of love that touches every aspect of my being.