CHAPTER 7: THE LOVE OF GOD AS A TWO-WAY STREAM ============================================== Book: Knowing God, Loving God Umushumba Fidele Bolton URL: https://kgm-school-preview.netlify.app/library/en/knowing-god-loving-god/07-a-two-way-stream/ CHAPTER 7: THE LOVE OF GOD AS A TWO-WAY STREAM ============================================== RECEIVING AND RETURNING LOVE The love of God is not meant to be passively received—it is meant to be returned. Love that flows from God into our hearts must be poured back to Him in worship, obedience, and surrender. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). Many Christians live as if God’s love is a private possession, something to have rather than something to give. But divine love, by nature, cannot be hoarded. It burns like a fire, growing only when shared—both back to God and out to others. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God’s love is both transformative and responsive: It purifies our desires. It awakens our spirits. It overflows into love for others. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7–8). STORY TO ILLUSTRATE Think of a beautiful, clear lake fed by a mountain spring. If the lake has an outlet, the water stays fresh, circulates, and flows out to water the surrounding land, bringing life. If, however, the outlet gets blocked, the lake will become stagnant. The fresh water still flows in, but with no way out it becomes murky and lifeless. God’s love is like that mountain spring, constantly pouring into us. If we only receive it and don’t allow it to flow back to Him in worship and out to others in service and compassion, our spiritual lives can become stagnant. True spiritual vitality comes from both receiving and returning His love. THE EMOTIONAL AND WILLFUL ASPECTS OF LOVING GOD Loving God involves both emotions and will. Emotional love—There are moments of overwhelming joy and gratitude, when God feels near and our hearts are stirred in devotion. These are precious experiences, like those described by the psalmist: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1–2). Willful love—There are also times of dryness, struggle, and unanswered prayers. Here, love becomes a choice, a commitment of the will, not just a feeling. This is seen in steadfast obedience even when emotions are low. “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). This is the difference between love as passion and love as commitment. Passionate love feels God’s presence. Committed love trusts God’s character, even when He seems distant. Loving God requires both—a deep emotional connection and a steadfast decision to remain faithful. APPLICATION: WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL GOD Our feelings about God can be fickle, influenced by circumstances, health, or even spiritual attack. It’s crucial to understand that the absence of a feeling of God’s presence does not mean the absence of God Himself. Strategy: What do you typically do (or what should you do) when you go through periods where you don’t “feel” God’s presence or His love? How do you distinguish between emotional dryness and a genuine need for repentance or spiritual course correction? Truth vs. Feeling: Could the absence of feelings sometimes mean God is testing or stretching your faith to rely on His unchanging Word and character rather than on shifting emotions? (Consider Job’s experience, or times when Jesus seemed silent to His disciples.) Testimony: “God’s love grows when shared.” Can you share a personal experience when actively loving God (through worship or obedience) or loving others in His name, even when you didn’t feel like it, actually deepened your own sense of God’s love or revived your spiritual passion? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTER 7 1. How can a believer actively “return” God’s love to Him beyond just feeling grateful? What does this look like in practical daily life? 2. Why is it important to understand that loving God involves both our emotions and our will? What happens if we rely too much on one over the other? 3. God’s love “grows when shared.” In what ways have you experienced this to be true—either in sharing God’s love back with Him or with other people? ---------- KGM School of Service — Knowing God Missions · Tumenyimana https://kgm-school-preview.netlify.app