Love God….. LOVE God……. Love GOD…... now that is one ordinary statement that has extraordinary implications.
How do we know there is a God?
How do we know what this God is like?
Has this God revealed Himself to us?
Why should we love God?
Why does He deserve our love?
Why do we deserve to love Him?
What if I don’t feel like loving God?
What does loving God look like?
In the real world, what does it mean to love God?
In Mark 12:28-34, our passage from this past weekend, we see that when Jesus was asked “Which is the greatest commandment?” He responded,
29 "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31. The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
So, it appears that this ordinary statement – a statement that is prime on the list to gloss over – is actually incredibly important to Jesus. He says, in light of the absolute uniqueness of God, in light of the covenant that He has made and kept with you – YOU are to turn around and love Him with every ounce of your existence. With all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength, you are to LOVE GOD. Wow! What a powerful truth. What a powerful command.
So, what does it truly mean to love God?
Do you love God like you love your child or spouse?
Do we love Him like we love pizza… or movies……or the beach?
Or does love for God necessarily manifest itself in other ways?
Obedience.
Prayer.
Care for the people around us.
Love for the Word.
Repentance.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the apostle Paul states, “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Loving God is just this…. It is His people having an eye towards His glory. It is His people eating, and drinking, and working, and playing in a way that is mindful of Him. It is His people being distinctly thankful and joyful, even when times are hard. It is His people caring more for His glory and honor than their own.
So, may we, as the people of God, live lives of love toward God today. May we be ever mindful of His character, His works, His glory – that we might live lives of love in proper response.
Strive, this day, to filter your life through the question – Is this loving God?
Have a blessed day in Him,
Chris Newkirk
Posted on
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
by Chris Newkirk