WEBVTT 00:04.452 --> 00:09.499 [SPEAKER_00]: As we spend this week, wholeheartedly seeking to know God with all we are. 00:10.300 --> 00:14.006 [SPEAKER_00]: We'll take time today to experience God's love for us. 00:15.087 --> 00:24.621 [SPEAKER_00]: We all may live with the head knowledge that God loves us, but go long spurts of time without actually experiencing God's love. 00:25.141 --> 00:38.392 [SPEAKER_00]: God's love is most radical and life-changing upon encounter, and it's my hope today you'll press into him, and really feel firsthand yourself how much God truly loves you. 00:39.354 --> 00:41.800 [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the first 15 podcast. 01:05.472 --> 01:23.785 [SPEAKER_00]: our Scripture for today comes from Romans 5, verse 5, Scripture says, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 01:27.646 --> 01:33.256 [SPEAKER_00]: There is nothing in this world, like experiencing the unconditional love of God. 01:34.638 --> 01:38.284 [SPEAKER_00]: His love extends farther than the width of the skies. 01:39.406 --> 01:42.532 [SPEAKER_00]: His love goes deeper than the deepest sea. 01:43.754 --> 01:51.848 [SPEAKER_00]: His love is more powerful than a raging fire, and it is closer than the heartbeat within your chest. 01:51.828 --> 01:58.078 [SPEAKER_00]: Experiencing his love is like becoming new again and again. 01:58.098 --> 02:05.970 [SPEAKER_00]: With each taste of his affection, the wounds of the past become healed and restored. 02:06.912 --> 02:17.869 [SPEAKER_00]: That one no longer regrets pain, but rejoices in the opportunity it gives to experience the love of a good and near Heavenly Father once again. 02:19.503 --> 02:26.096 [SPEAKER_00]: When we seek to know God, we gain experiences with His love because it's who He is. 02:26.156 --> 02:36.837 [SPEAKER_00]: First John 4-8 says, anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. 02:38.251 --> 02:44.281 [SPEAKER_00]: To know love is to know God, because every bit of true love comes from Him. 02:45.483 --> 02:53.738 [SPEAKER_00]: First John 416 says so we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. 02:54.980 --> 03:02.773 [SPEAKER_00]: God is love and whoever abides in love, abides in God and God abides in Him. 03:05.065 --> 03:09.730 [SPEAKER_00]: It's time for you and me to believe the love that God has for us. 03:10.831 --> 03:23.024 [SPEAKER_00]: It's time that we cease questioning whether we are loved and instead seek the face of our Heavenly Father that we might know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He loves us. 03:25.266 --> 03:29.811 [SPEAKER_00]: Almost all of my energy goes toward being loved. 03:29.831 --> 03:31.933 [SPEAKER_00]: I look for love everywhere. 03:32.335 --> 03:39.945 [SPEAKER_00]: I look for it from my wife, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and total strangers. 03:41.427 --> 03:47.456 [SPEAKER_00]: I constantly concern myself with whether I am moment by moment, loved or not. 03:49.218 --> 03:54.445 [SPEAKER_00]: But Jesus came that we might no longer ask ourselves that question. 03:55.690 --> 04:08.687 [SPEAKER_00]: John 3 16 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 04:11.570 --> 04:15.555 [SPEAKER_00]: God already loved us so much that he died for us. 04:17.137 --> 04:20.702 [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing we have to do to earn his love. 04:22.100 --> 04:30.414 [SPEAKER_00]: If we need a fresh reminder of it, all we have to do is simply seek His face and love will come as the result. 04:32.216 --> 04:36.944 [SPEAKER_00]: We have unlimited access by the grace of God to the love of God. 04:38.166 --> 04:46.740 [SPEAKER_00]: Unconditional, limitless love awaits us at every turn if our hearts will simply seek His. 04:47.260 --> 04:53.150 [SPEAKER_00]: Scripture says, In Psalm 27 verse 8, You have said, seek my face. 04:54.152 --> 04:57.778 [SPEAKER_00]: My heart says to you, Your face, Lord, do I seek? 05:00.143 --> 05:05.853 [SPEAKER_00]: May we be children who constantly seek the face of our loving, Heavenly Father. 05:07.155 --> 05:11.783 [SPEAKER_00]: May we be a bride wholly wrapped up in the love of our bride-room. 05:12.691 --> 05:24.249 [SPEAKER_00]: and may we experience as the result of simply seeking God, the powerful affections of a God, who laid down his own life for the sake of his creation. 05:26.052 --> 05:30.278 [SPEAKER_00]: Take time now to encounter that love and God at prayer. 05:57.443 --> 05:58.764 [UNKNOWN]: Thank you. 06:10.201 --> 06:10.942 [SPEAKER_00]: as we begin. 06:11.002 --> 06:15.049 [SPEAKER_00]: Meditate on the love of your heavenly Father. 06:15.069 --> 06:26.748 [SPEAKER_00]: A loud scripture to stir up your desire to seek God, and as a result, experience and encounter with His love. 06:26.769 --> 06:36.124 [SPEAKER_00]: First John 48 says, anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 07:17.296 --> 07:26.580 [SPEAKER_00]: And next, where are you seeking love to whom or what are you turning for love other than God? 08:07.533 --> 08:16.288 [SPEAKER_00]: and last, take time to seek the face of your Heavenly Father and encounter His love. 08:16.308 --> 08:20.856 [SPEAKER_00]: Open your heart to Him and simply desire relationship with Him. 08:20.896 --> 08:23.500 [SPEAKER_00]: You will take care of the rest. 08:25.167 --> 08:38.029 [SPEAKER_00]: Romans 5, 5 says, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 09:20.028 --> 09:28.862 [SPEAKER_00]: First John for 18 says, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 09:30.123 --> 09:37.234 [SPEAKER_00]: For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 09:39.919 --> 09:42.863 [SPEAKER_00]: We have no reason to fear seeking God. 09:43.889 --> 09:52.300 [SPEAKER_00]: All that he would say to us do in us and lead us to comes from a foundation of his perfect love. 09:53.862 --> 09:56.466 [SPEAKER_00]: There is no reason to fear in this life. 09:57.688 --> 10:04.717 [SPEAKER_00]: There is nothing here that can separate us from eternal, unbound relationship with our heavenly father. 10:06.339 --> 10:10.605 [SPEAKER_00]: Allow his love to cast out any reservations you have today. 10:11.227 --> 10:18.148 [SPEAKER_00]: Receive an awareness of his perfect love and rest easy in his kindness 10:42.226 --> 10:44.911 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening to today's podcast. 10:45.332 --> 10:46.794 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Josh with Versif team. 10:47.716 --> 10:53.005 [SPEAKER_00]: If you have a moment, would you do us a huge favor by leaving a rating or review? 10:53.907 --> 11:02.783 [SPEAKER_00]: Sharing how God is impacting your life through Versif team is one of the most effective ways of helping more people connect with our ministry. 11:02.763 --> 11:15.080 [SPEAKER_00]: If you'd rather, you can send us a note at podcast at firstfifteen.org and make sure to come back tomorrow as we continue our week looking at what it means to experience God. 11:16.002 --> 11:20.468 [SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day and may God bless you as you see Kim.