The theme of today’s Pastor Joseph Prince daily devotional November 19 2023 is ”Good Things Happen when You Believe God Loves You!”
SCRIPTURE: to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.-Ephesians 3:18–19
Once, when I was preparing to preach, the Lord shared this with me: “good things happen to people who believe that God loves them.” My friend, good things happening to you does not depend on who you are, what academic qualifications you hold, or what your profession is. Good things simply happen to you when you believe that God loves you! He loves you all the time. Even when you fail, He loves you! His love is not like our love. Our love is conditional, but His love is not. It is not contingent on our behavior.
It is contingent entirely on His grace and the work of His Son, Jesus Christ.
When Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus, he prayed that they might be able to comprehend “what is the width and length and depth and height” of “the love of Christ” (see today’s scripture). Notice Paul’s emphasis on the love of Christ. In other words, it is not about our love for Christ. Paul was praying for them to have a revelation of Jesus’ love for them and not their love for Jesus. Now, observe closely the result of them knowing the Lord’s love for them: they would be “filled with all the fullness of God.” I have heard many sermons saying that if you do this and do that, you will be filled with the fullness of God. But that is not what the Bible says. It says that when you know the love of Christ, you will be filled with the fullness of God. You will see Him provide for your needs in big and small ways.
I want to share a praise report from Kimberly, who lives in Florida, that demonstrates this truth. She and her husband had received the revelation of the gospel of grace and began to see financial breakthroughs where they had previously struggled. On their eighth wedding anniversary, Kimberly’s husband had surprised her with a new wedding ring. He got the new three-carat diamond ring at a supernaturally low price—almost nothing over their trade-in, half-carat diamond! To Kimberly, it was a symbol of God’s favor on their marriage and lives. So you can imagine her dismay when she lost it! Kimberly recalled:
I was choking back negative thoughts as I feverishly tried to find the ring. We tore our house apart. The more I searched, the more stressed I became. I remember hearing the Holy Spirit say, “Stop trying to find it. Just rest and I will bring it back to you because I love you.” This gave me peace for about a day and a half but by the third day, I was in tears and frantic again! I cleared my bathroom vanity area three separate times to look for it!
I went to the bedroom in tears, looked up, and said, “Jesus, I know that You love me, and You don’t have to help me find my ring to prove that. But because You love me, will You bring my ring back to me?” I prayed that simple prayer, walked back into the bathroom, and found my ring lying on my vanity area! Completely shocked, I immediately called my kids in to ask them if they had placed my ring there, and they said that they had not. I began crying and praising God because He truly answered my prayer by placing my ring in a spot that I had just checked and scrutinized three times! Jesus brought it back to me just as He had promised! I praise Jesus for loving me. Now, my ring symbolizes His grace even more.
Have you been there before? You got so frantic and stressed that God had to interrupt your frenzy of worry to remind you that He loves you and would take care of that detail for you? What made the difference for Kimberly was this very knowledge that the Lord loved her. Once she was conscious of how much the Lord loved her, she saw her prayer answered and her precious ring (which the Lord had blessed them with) returned to her.
Beloved, I pray that you have been growing in the revelation of how much God loves you as you see all that Jesus has accomplished for you on the cross. The more you realize that it is a revelation of Jesus’ love for you and not your love for Jesus, the more you, your family, and your future will be filled with the fullness and riches of His grace.
This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs.