LOVING GOD
“And He replied to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind (intellect)”,
this is the great (most important principle) and first commandment”,
Matthew 22:37 ,38. (Amplified)
What would be the result if we really loved God?
- Loving God can deliver us from the world.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world,
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”, 1 John 2:15 .
John is telling us that we cannot have love for the world and love for the Father at the same time. They are incompatible, you will love one and hate the other (Matthew 7:24 ). In essence, we must choose the more excellent way, which is to love God. Can you see how loving God will deliver you from the world? The heart of man does not have the capacity to love both the world and God at the same time. Therefore, once we decide that loving God is more desirable we will naturally let go of the world (man and man’s ways). This world will disappoint you but God will never leave you nor forsake you, Hebrews 13:5. The love of the Father, or better stated your love for the Father will deliver you from the world systems.
- Loving God can help us love the unloveable brethren.
“If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar:
for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love
God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20.
How easy it is to love the Christian that loves us. How difficult it is to love that brother, that sister who rub us the wrong way. This scripture is talking about loving those of the household of faith. If you cannot love your brother in Christ, your sister in Christ, then you cannot prove that you love God. Love is an action word. If you love then there is a corresponding action. God so loved (unconditionally), that he gave (his only son). When we have genuine love for God in our heart, then God is able to love through us. When we have a genuine love for God in our heart, then we see our brothers and sisters as God sees them. We can unconditionally love because God loves unconditionally.
- Loving God helps you to keep His commandments.
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,
and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments”, 1 John 5:2, 3
A heart that loves is willing to do almost anything for the one it loves, naturally speaking. When we truly love God, our heart’s desire is to please God. The proof that we love God is in the action we take. If you love God you will do what he says, keep his commandments. In order to keep his commandments we must first know what they are. This requires study, and study tends to draw you closer to God. As you draw closer to God you want to please him even the more. We then seek out ways to prove our love for him. “The person, who has my commandments and keeps them, is the one who really loves me, and whoever really loves me will be loved by my Father. And I too will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) myself to him, I will let myself be clearly seen by him and make myself real to him”, John 14:21 . What outstanding benefits we receive when we truly love God.
I will continue this theme next week. Be blessed and remember your comments are always welcomed.
In His service,
Rosita
