We will begin a new series today on the topic of loving God. This will be one of our most important series because it is the core of serving and knowing God.
Any relationship void of true love is empty and meaningless. Of course, there can be relationships where a person is only in it for purely selfish motives. For example, a woman could marry a man because he has money, or he will fill a void in her life for the moment. She may not wholeheartedly love him but add him into her life to fill a need. Or she could be the type that only wants her way and seldom considers her husband’s needs or desires.
My wife and I saw a traffic courtroom scene where the husband and wife stood before the judge to dispute or agree with a ticket the husband received for running a red light. The wife dominated much of the dialogue between the judge and her guilty husband.
Finally, the judge asked the man how long the couple had been married. The wife abruptly spoke out and said, “We have been happily married for over 40 years.” “Isn’t that right?” (to her husband). He said, “Yes, dear” and the courtroom erupted in laughter because it was obvious, she was in charge.
Of course, the previous above scenario can change, as the woman commits to knowing and appreciating her husband for who he is and not just for what he can do for her financially or otherwise. She can be transformed in her thinking and become a loving, caring, and wonderful spouse. She can join herself to him and seek to reciprocate the love he has for her by walking harmoniously with him.
To do this, she will have to make the decision to know him as a person. She will need to spend time with him for who he is and not for what she can get out of him. Of course, she can expect him to love her, provide and care for her. He, on the other hand, can expect her to become one with him as his partner, lover, confidant, friend, and companion as they go through life’s circumstances.
In that type of relationship, the wife (who compares to the Church) realizes she is not her own any longer (1 Corinthians 6:19). She realizes she has committed herself to her spouse and she takes those vows seriously, even when the spark of romance seems dim, and the trials of life are racing in upon the marriage. She has made a commitment out of love and continues to honor that commitment through it all, knowing true love is more than a feeling.
As with the example above, some of us came to God through brokenness or emptiness and realized He was the only One that could fill our void or solve our immediate issues. We were somehow drawn to Him and understood that “serving” Him was a better choice than not serving Him.
Our motivation for being “saved” could have been to avoid being lost for eternity. Or it could have been a crisis in our lives that provoked us to call upon the Lord. Or we just came to realize He was the only One who genuinely loved us and could meet the unfulfilled longing of our desperate heart.
Whatever the reason, God is merciful and gracious and will work with where we are when we turn to Him. However… He never leaves us the way He finds us. He wants us to be conformed to the image and likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. He wants us to love Him and others as a way of life. The scripture reveals how we can achieve this.
When Jesus was asked by a religious leader about the greatest commandment, His reply was something he did not expect.
37) Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38) This is the first and great commandment. 39) And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40) On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Mathew 22:37-40
We can see from this passage, the thing God wants from all of us, is our sincere love and devotion. He does not want us for our money (although our generosity and giving pleases Him), our good looks, our cars, our houses, or other things. He wants relationship with His people based upon love.
All the other commandments and instructions in God’s word point to fulfilling those two commandments in one way or another. It is all about a loving relationship with our heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and subsequently loving others.
The scripture tells us we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). He is the One who has drawn us to Himself and caused us to turn our attention towards Him. Now He waits for us to return that love through our surrender, worship, devotion, and obedience.
It seems; however, we have difficulty trusting God and loving Him the way He deserves. This is due to a lack of seeing Him properly instead of the warped religious view that makes Him out to be an ogre sitting on His throne, ready to trounce on us at the slightest whim.
No, that is not the God we serve. The Bible says:
16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10
We can clearly see here, God is the loving initiator of this wonderful relationship we are invited to enjoy. He saved us out of His deep love, a love so immense that it caused Him to sacrifice His own Son.
I do not know about you, but I would not sacrifice any of my children for you or anyone else, but especially, if they were against me and my values. God’s love transcends any natural love we have encountered in this life. The Bible tells us, “God is love” (1 John 4:8b)
To be equally yoked with God, we must love Him. We cannot have a meaningful relationship with Him based upon anything else. That means there are no strings attached. We simply love Him because He first loved us and proved it by sending His Son to the cross for our sins, and then raising Him from the dead so we can be justified and be part of the family of God.
Loving God and one another is our highest purpose in life. Other things are vitally important, but none as great as this.
We will discuss this topic more next time. Until then, may God our heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless and keep you.
James Brown
CST 01/30/2024