Do You Love God? Let’s Cut Through the Maze.
Do you love God? You may think that is a silly question and you may answer, “Of course I do!” Well, I hope you do, and once again this article is not to criticize anyone. It is written to help me and you to better know what it means to love the “Lord your (and my) God with your (and my) heart, soul, mind, and strength”. We are commanded to love God, right? Matthew 22:37
Most of us quickly connect loving God to obeying Him, and that would be a great place to begin. Don’t stop there. Loving God means so much more than simple obedience. It means even more than grudgingly obeying Him. Several years ago, I was asked how I, as a father, want my children to show love to me. My answer eventually included being told I am loved, being wanted enough for them to want to spend time with me, being allowed into the lives of others, playing together / having fun, being accepted even if I don’t always do things right, being hugged, being cared for if I am ill, being valued as a dad, being befriended, being obeyed in certain relationships, being comforted when I am hurting or sad, and being forgiven when I confess.
Not all of these apply to my relationship with God, but many of these ways of being loved translate easily from my being loved as a father to, as a child of God, loving Him, my Heavenly Father.
Would you take a moment and see which of these apply and would be ways that you and I could demonstrate (not prove-He already knows) our love for the Lord our God?
This is the first and greatest commandment and you can find it in Matthew 22:37-39. I know I have written on this recently, but trying to figure out how to love our Father in heaven is worth more than a casual, occasional glance; at least, it is to Him. Knowing how to love Him and, actually, doing it are growing in importance to me too.
Loving God is central to living a loving life. Having a love relationship with the God of the universe is a blessed privilege and the source of all the love we are commanded and privileged to give away. His love never runs out. He is infinite; He is love.
Would you list 4 or 5 ways that your Dad would have enjoyed being loved by you? How do these translate into ways you could modify and love our Father God that way?
Example 1- My Dad would have enjoyed being helped with tasks at the house. Modified to love God: My Father allows me to serve Him by serving others.
Example 2 – As a Dad, I enjoy sitting down with my kids/grandkids and listening to them talk. Modified to love God: Our Father in heaven loves for us to be still and know He is God and to talk to Him (prayer).
Example 3? Example 4? Example 5?
You get the idea!