In Romans 5:8, Paul tells us that God demonstrated His love for us on the Cross of Calvary by sending His son to pay the penalty for our sins while we were still sinners. There is no greater love than that of the one who gives up his life for another. The scriptures call us to return God’s love. John says that we love God because He first loved us. To grow in our love for God, we must grow in our faith and trust in what he has accomplished for us on the cross. That involves focusing on it and reflecting on its importance in our lives. Many religions encourage their adherents to meditate. Christian meditation is not looking at our navels and reciting some nonsensical sound like “Oom.” It is contemplating God’s love as demonstrated by Christ in all of its glory.
When we first come to faith in Christ, our faith is like a tender shoot. It’s even compared to such in the Bible. It is bent and driven by every change of weather. But it must continue to get stronger as it takes its nourishment from its connection to the tree. As it grows stronger, it becomes able to bear heavier burdens and handle all severe weather conditions. Growing disciples have a growing faith. Notice that the nourishment that is drawn from the connection is taken out of an endless supply of sustenance. When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he exhorted them and us to let our “roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong…”
The next truth is crucial. That endless supply of nourishment that God provides abundantly is His love. Paul wrote to the Ephesians and told them and us what he was praying for for them. It was “that from His unlimited resources God will empower you with inner strength…that your roots will grow down deep into God’s love and make and keep you strong.(See Ephesians 3:16-18). He goes on to pray that we will continue to grow in understanding the depth, height, breadth, and width of God’s love. Grasping that truth about God’s disposition towards us is what nourishes true growth! One phrase that has struck me in my 50 years as a believer never gets old with me. I say it a lot: Faith is believing that God has my best interest foremost in mind regardless of the circumstances in my life. As your roots go down deep into this truth, you get stronger in the changing weather of life. Paul is often excited to see believers grow in their faith. He tells the Thessalonians, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you…because your faith is growing abundantly.” 2Thessalonians 1:3