love
/lʌv/
noun
1. an intense feeling of deep affection. “babies fill parents with feelings of love”.
/// fondness, intimacy, devotion, adoration, worship, desire, yearning, regard, friendship, kindness, goodwill, altruism, unselfishness, relationship ///
2. a great interest and pleasure in something. “his love for football”
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 KJV
“Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him.” 1 John 3:1 HCSB
The above scriptures give us a reflection of how valuable a love God expressed to humans. A love that sacrificed itself to die for sinful people. A love that was given without reservations of or requirements from the recipient. A love that went and still goes all out without prejudice or condemnation. What manner of love this is indeed; so great that we have not only been considered to benefit of it but also that we have been found worthy of God’s adoption.
How do we respond to such great love? And with what can we even match up to its lavish expression thereof? We cannot just admire such a show of love. We cannot just like it as a great gesture. Our response to it cannot be mediocre or something average. We need to respond with all of our heart and every fiber of our being. We ought to cultivate a deep love relationship with God.
Any relationship you have with God other than love is not enough.
It’s great to revere God; to fear Him in all reverence, to acknowledge and honour Him as our Heavenly Father. All of that is good and acceptable. However He earnestly desires that we love Him also in response to His love towards us. That is Is perfect will for us.
God will not force us to love Him back. He desires it however (despite His sacrifice for us), He does force us to love Him back. God’s intention is not to weary us with His love but rather to draw us onto Him. He would rather we discover for ourselves the depth of love He has in store for us so we receive it wholeheartedly.
“Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house; Lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.”Proverbs 25:17 KJV
People easily get tired of you when you overstay your welcome. In other words, your visit may be expressing more love than the person who is hosting you. As humans, we sometimes get suspicious when people are seemingly too nice, especially when we feel undeserving of their kind gesture. Don’t let God feel like a visitor who is no longer wanted.
Many of us Christians are more concerned about ourselves than the work of God. Jesus is not a genie. The Holy Bible is not a magic teapot that we can rub to make wishes. The church is not a poker house or a political party that you visit solely for personal gain. The church is a place on worship, communion, fellowship! When your reason for being there changes, you change. We usually only focus on what we can get from God and not what we can do for His kingdom. That is why we don’t usually serve God the way we ought to serve Him.
“The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”” John 14:21 HCSB
It is one thing being loved by God (as He loved the world and gave His son to die for us). It is an even better thing to be a beloved of the Lord because you responded to His love with love. It is only at that level that He will reveal Himself to you.
How do I express this love for God, you may ask. When you accept His commands and keep them (obey them), only then do you truly love Him. Such love is evident by your growth in the things of God.
It’s just like little children are expected to grow and hit certain milestones at various ages.i.e. 1year, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years and so on. The average child is expected to crawl by a certain age, walk by a certain age, talk at a certain age, potty train by a certain age, brush their teeth by a certain age and so on. Beyond certain specific ages for specific milestones, if the child is unable to develop that skill it might be a deficiency in growth and might require some medical intervention.
The duties of us as children of God are equally different for various seasons. Being born again, cultivating a habit of prayer, having a quiet time, tithing and giving offerings, serving in the house of God, evangelism and soul-winning, etc.
Hitting the milestone for one age does not automatically make you a fully grown person. You need to continue to learn and grow even through adulthood to survive the journey of life. Similarly attaining one milestone as a Christian does not end your journey of loving God. You cannot just say I have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour so I’m good to go. If you love Him, you will keep His commandment at every stage of your life in Him.
Attaining each spiritual milestone in due season boils down to us really loving God. When we truly love Him, we will willingly desire to know Him and obey His instructions. We will yearn to be in His presence and make the effort to develop an intimate relationship with Him. Don’t use church as a place to accumulate blessings and ‘things’ but strictly as a place to serve God and love on Him.
Make a reciprocal sacrifice for what He has done for you through His love.
We usually take the hard decision to serve God wholly at the very last minute or when it is too late. Some will spend the youthful years of their lives toiling for Pharaoh. They will work ever so hard in their careers or business to accumulate all the treasures of this world and only factor serving God into their retirement plan. Many of us are just neutral/ mediocre in our service to God.
“After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.” Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”” John 21:15-19 MSG
Feed my lambs! Shepherd my sheep!! Feed my sheep!!! It is evident from this scripture the things we ought to do if we love the Lord. We also see clearly that it is easier to do these when we are young (go wherever you wish). Notice also that as we age our power of choice is dwindled and we are less malleable. We grow feeble and weary and someone else/ other things/ realities of life will take us where we don’t want to go.
May we really truly love God in response to His love for us. May we not be selfish and maintain a one-sided relationship where we only take from Him without giving back in service to Him and His kingdom. May we not be mediocre or neutral in serving God but rather give off our best for His work. Ultimately, may we grow in love for Him through the various seasons of our journey with Him.
With love, Esinam.
Virtuous Living 