"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." This is the first and greatest commandment.
How do YOU love the Lord? Is it obedience? Is it doing something?
Do you feel the overwhelming sense of love, like you do when you watch your baby sleeping, or see your husband clean up the kitchen?
I am usually stuck on the "how" because I like to have things spelled out for me. What can I DO to show that I love Him?
But that's not what He's asking for. "You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would have given" (Ps 51)
When I just TRY harder, it becomes something that I am trying to earn. It is of myself. It is not acceptable. And it has no faith in it. It's based on my own strength, performance, and motives. It is wearying. It is hopeless. It has no true humility or self-sacrifice. It only has obligation.
It is not as hard to know how to "do" things to show love (or at least the appearance of love) for others. They are all around us, they can receive our attempts to love them. God, on the other hand, is not as easy to love, if you want a list of ways you can love Him. Maybe it is easier to love Him if you have a list. I guess it worked out pretty well for the Pharisees, since they liked lists of things to do. They could check their lists every day. But Jesus didn't like their lists. So that creates a problem if Jesus' (God's) opinion matters.
How do I love Him? If I am asking myself, my truly honest answer is: Poorly.
When I examine my heart, I realize I don't love well, because I just don't have that self-giving, self-sacrificing love automatically in there. In order for me to love, I have to understand and accept and embrace the reality that I am well-loved. "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4)
So my prayer is, 'Lord, help me to know that You love me, so that I can respond to your love, in kind."
How do you love God? What does it look like in your life? What does it feel like?
More deep thoughts and encouraging words at Finding Heaven. :)
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Happy New Year - A Quick Update
6 months ago
For some reason, the linky closed early. I went back in, adjusted the new time (maybe it has to do with time zones?) and then added your link. Hope that was okay!
ReplyDeleteWhen you wrote "poorly" I just felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I am not sure why I had that reaction. You are so honest and vulnerable and I really appreciate that. I love your prayer and honestly, the way you are thinking and seeking, shows God how much you love and honor Him.