BiblicalInsights.net

We have defined the word wonder in the following manner:  “inquisitive awe in the pursuit of an understanding of all of the perfections of the excellent majesty of God.”   The wonder of God involves the study of all of His perfections.  The Bible affirms that God is love (I John 4:8,16).  To know God is to have everlasting life (I John 5:20).  To know God is to love.  He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love!  If we do not love, we do not have everlasting life!  Love is the essential element of the Christian life.  Let’s explore what it means to say that God is love.  In doing so, we will learn what it means to love as a virtue of our own hearts as followers of Jesus Christ.  We are in a pursuit of the breath, length, depth and height of the love of Christ (Eph. 3:14-21).   There is no greater pursuit of the human mind and heart than to know God.
Love is an Intrinsic Virtue of the Nature of God
“He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love” (I John 4:8). “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16).  Love is a perfection of the very nature of God.  Love is not all that God is.  God is also, holy, light, spirit, just, righteous, merciful, etc.  God is the sum of all of His perfections.  To say that God is love is to say that God: (1) Seeks the highest good of His creature, man.  God’s love is undefeatable, benevolent, goodwill.  God loves unconditionally as a free act of His own nature.  His love is directed toward human beings who are the only creatures who need salvation from sin and its consequences.  His love seeks the highest good of human beings by bestowing His grace freely to them in order to redeem them from iniquity.  (2) God’s love is relational.  God is a person. His love is directed toward other members of the Godhead, His Son and the Holy Spirit who are also persons) and human beings created in His image with the ability to love as a free act of their own wills.  God loves the human beings He created and desires that they be in covenant relationship with Him and receive the blessings and promises that only He can bestow upon them.  (3) God’s love is personal.  God desires to be a personal relationship with each human being.  This relationship is based upon the covenant God has given to man under different historic periods.  Three different historic periods are discernible in Bible history:  Patriarchal, Mosaical, and Christian.  We are living today under the Christian Age which is ruled by the law of Christ (Rom. 8:1-2).  God relates to us by providing the means for us to be in fellowship with Him.  This fellowship is predicated upon our love for Him (John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him”).  (4) God’s love is unconditional.  It is not dependent upon who we are or what we have done.  God loves human beings because He is a God of love.  It is who God is.  (5) God’s love is beneficial.  God acts in our best interest for our greatest good!  God gave the best of heaven (John 3:16) in order that we can live the spiritually optimal life now and have eternal life in the world to come (John 10:10).  God truly wants the best for us.  If we do not possess all spiritual blessings, it is not God’s fault.  It is our fault for not reciprocating God’s love (we fail to love God back).  (6) God’s love is compelling.  God’s love comes before our love for Him (I John 4:19, “We love him, because He first loved us”).  We manifest our love for God by keeping His commandments (John 14:13; 14:23).  The cross is the love story of the Bible.  By studying this story, we come to know the love of God.  We learn of its sacrificial nature.  In turn, we must present our bodies as living sacrifices to Him (Rom. 12:1,2).
God’s Love and Our Salvation
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10).  God’s love is a wonder not only because of its scope (He loved all human beings), but because of the intensity of it (He loved us while we were yet sinners).  “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).  God loved us when we were unlovable (not worthy of His love).  God’s love acts in our best interest even though we are unworthy of it.  Our redemption is dependent upon God’s love.  God’s love faces sin in us and sees the value of redeeming us.  God’s love is made known thr0ugh the unspeakable gift of His Son–Jesus Christ.  The gift makes God’s love: undeniable, selfless, sacrificial, and undefeatable.  God’s love overcomes the forces of evil and prevails.  It is powerful and accomplishes the purpose or aim for which it is unleashed–the salvation of the human soul.  However, we must respond to God’s love by loving God back.  We have two choices as we face God’s love.  The first is to reject it.  When we reject God’s love, we also reject eternal life.  To know God is to have eternal life.  To know God is to love Him.  If we do not love Him, we do not know Him and we do not have eternal life!  When we fail to love God, we also deny ourselves an entrance into heaven.  Our love for God must be supreme (Matthew 22:36-39).  To love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind is the first and greatest commandment.  If we fail to get this right, we will perish eternally.  Our obedience to God’s commandments is evidence of our love (John 14:15).  The second response to God’s love is to receive it and reciprocate it.  Love for God involves more than lip service.  It involves acts of compliance with God’s laws that demonstrate it.  Love and obedience are interconnected just like trust and obedience are connected.  Jesus is the author of eternal salvation unto all those that obey Him (Heb. 5:8-9).
The Depth of God’s Love
We know the depth of God’s love by what it cost Him.  It cost Him His Son (John 3:16; Eph. 4:25).  Jesus gave His life to redeem us for the eternal consequences of sin (Rom. 6:23).  We know the depth of God’s love by how little we deserve it.  We are unworthy.  But, God loves us anyway.  We know the depth of God’s love by the greatness of the spiritual benefits and blessings He gives us.  All spiritual blessing are in Christ (Eph. 1:3).  God holds nothing back!  God’s supply of grace toward us is unending (John 1:16).  We know the depth of God’s love by the freedom by which it is manifested.  God’s love is free act of His eternal will.  In John 10:18, Jesus indicated His love as a free act when He said regarding His life, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father.”  No one took Jesus’ life from Him.  He freely gave it and secured our spiritual freedom from the servitude of sin.
God is love!  Behold it and wonder!  Let it fill your heart with awe.  Be grateful for God’s love.  Love God back with all of your heart, soul and mind.  Remember, that to know God is to have everlasting life.  To know God is to love God.  If we do not love Him, we do not know Him and we do not have everlasting life!  Failure to love God will cause our soul to perish eternally.

What do all of the following have in common:  a beautiful sunset or sunrise, the giggle of your grandchild, the early morning dew, a word fitly spoken in kindness, a cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus, and faith the size of a grain of mustard seed?  They are all examples of the value of small things.
Consider the following quotes:  “Live life like it’s the last breath you take for that breath is the whole essence of living, the little things in life are what connects us to all the big things we live for” (Robert Frost).  “True greatness consists in being great in little things” (Alvin Toffler).  “Find gratitude in the little things and your well of gratitude will never run dry” (Antonia Montoya).  “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out” (Robert Collier).  “Embrace the power of little things, and you will build a tower of mighty things” (Israelmore Ayivor).  “Without water drops, there can be no ocean” (Mehmet Murat).
We will add some scripture thoughts and insights to this list of quotations and explore the wonder of the mundane (the insignificant, often neglected, aspects of God’s wisdom).
Delight in Small Things
Daily reliance upon God for joy in the small things of life allows Him to become more precious to us.  It creates channels of delight and it demonstrates His power working in the more mundane things of our daily experience.  Paul by inspiration writes, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (II Cor. 9:8).  The supply of God’s grace comes in sufficient amounts to enable us to accomplish every good work.
Little Foxes Spoil The Vineyard (Song of Solomon 2:15).  
Small things may come in negatives.  Foxes spoil the vineyards.  Termites destroy foundations.  We must be aware of small habits that turn us away from God.  Lack of attendance at the worship assembly may seem trite, but it indicates a much bigger problem.  We are supplanting God with something else and have thus created an idol.  Is it recreation?  Is it family?  Is it our own will?  Love for God must be supreme in our lives.  Devotion to God is one aspect of our love for God.
Faithfulness In Little Things (Luke 16:10).
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:  and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”  Faithfulness in little things is how we prove ourselves trustworthy and reliable so that we can take on more responsibility.   When you make a commitment, you must follow through with it.  No matter how trivial you think that it is.  When you fail to keep your word even once, you undermine confidence in your reliability.  Stewardship is a test of our trustworthiness.  Since God owns everything, we are all stewards of what He has entrusted to us.  How we manage even a small amount is vitally important since it reveals our true character.
A Small Rudder Guides the Ship (James 3:4).
“Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth” (James 3:3-4).  James compares the ability to guide a ship with a rudder to the power of the tongue.  He describes the tongue as a small member and then teaches that it can kindle a great fire!  There is power in the tongue for good and for evil.  Think of the harm that has been done to many relationships by words of hate, meanness, and prejudice.  Think of the power of a lie to deceive millions.  Remember, Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).   Then, consider the power of God’s Word to transform lives and save our souls (James 1:21).  Truly, there is great power in our words.  “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 2:19).
Faith Like A Grain of Mustard Seed (Luke 17:6).
“And the Lord said, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Luke 17:6).  The quantity of our faith is not as important as the quality of our faith.  An authentic faith is powerful and can accomplish great things.  The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, yet produces a tree large enough for the birds of the air to lodge therein.  Small things can produce great results.  Of course, our faith never stands alone.  Faith worketh by love (Gal. 5:6).  The combination of faith and love makes us formidable soldiers in God’s kingdom.
The Power of the Common Person In Relationship to God (I Cor. 1:26-27).
“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh,  not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence” (I Cor. 1:26-27).  The common person is more likely to put his/her trust in God than the powerful, rich, and noble.  The latter tend to put their trust in education, riches, and positions.  God’s wisdom is found in His Word.  Those who reject God’s Word, deny His wisdom.  Instead, they turn to the wisdom of this world.  James contrasts the wisdom of the world with the wisdom from above in James 3:13-18.  Read it for yourself.
A Little Leaven Leaveneth The Whole Lump (Gal. 5:9; I Cor. 5:6).
In Gal. 5:9, Paul warns about the power of evil or error to corrupt not just one person, but many.  “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”  Some Judaizing teachers were demanding that Gentile Christians keep the Law of Moses and be circumcised.  This was a false doctrine (see Acts 15:24).  This false doctrine was persuasive to some and they were leaving their spiritual union in Christ for Moses (Gal. 5:1-4).  Paul states that they were fallen from grace.   In I Cor. 5:6, Paul rebuked the Corinthian brethren for permitting a person who was living in fornication to go undisciplined.  The leaven in this context was fornication and if left alone the situation would influence others to sin against God.  The Corinthian brethren responded to Paul’s teaching and disciplined the individuals involved.  Sin and error often creep in little by little.  Small steps away from God are troubling and should be met with swift justice from God’s people.
Sparrows Vs. God’s Children (Mt. 10:29-31).
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Mt. 10:29-31).  A sparrow is not worth much in monetary value.  Yet, God knows when one dies.  Human beings are of greater value to God than sparrows.  And, God’s own children are of greater value than sparrows.  Jesus uses an argument from the lesser to the greater to indicate the value of God’s children to Him and His active concern (Love) for them.  God’s special care is indicated by His complete knowledge of those who belong to Him.
The Power of God Plus One (John 6:9).
Jesus fed five thousand men plus women and children on one occasion with five loaves and two fish.  A young man’s lunch consisted of five loaves of bread and two small fish.  How could so little feed so many?   The answer is that in the hands of Jesus, they proved to be more than enough.  Jesus miraculously multiplied the bread and fish and fed thousands!  This is a remarkable miracle.  Reliance upon Jesus made all the difference.  Because of who Jesus is and what He can do, the impossible to us becomes possible through Him.  God plus one can make a tremendous difference in life’s circumstances.  Truly, “with God all things are possible: (Matt 19:26).
One Master (Mt. 6:24).
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt. 6:24).  Jesus repudiates a divided loyalty.  We must serve God alone.  Jesus shows that any attempt to serve two masters is destined to fail.  There is only one, true, and living God.  The god of mammon is an idol.  Idols are nothing.  When we misplace our affections and love something or someone else more than God, we sin by violating the law of love for God. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Mt. 22:37-38).   God tolerates no rivals!  But, consider, there is no need for more than one God because God is all-sufficient and supplies us with every spiritual need and temporal blessing (Mt. 6:33; II Cor. 9:8).
Small things are significant!  Embrace the power of small things and you will build a tower of great things.  Success is the sum of small things repeated daily.  When we focus on small things, there is no end to our joy and delight and wonder.