Jesus Loves Me, This I Know… Now What?
I went to a wonderful conference with my teen daughter. The conference was geared toward high school girls and the theme was “You are loved”. The entire weekend we were reminded of God's love. We searched the scriptures to confirm this truth and be assured of God's faithful love for His daughters. After each speaker there was a time of discussion with provided questions. One question was, “when do you feel most loved by God?” As the girls answered the questions, I began to think, when does God feel loved by us?
Often, we are told of God's love and how we should rest in, and be assured that there is nothing that can separate us. These are wonderful truths, so now what? When I see and am grasping and learning of the love of God, is that the end of the story or is there some response He desires?
I do not believe God needs us to love Him back. Nowhere in scripture does God say, or even imply, that He needs our love. To quote the great theologian Shai Linne, “Need is a creature word.” However, God does desire that we show our love for Him in two ways, obey Him and love others.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” -John 14:15
God seeks obedience from His children. All parents are like God in this way. We want our children to do what we say. We do not want puppet children who cannot think and won't be able to make wise decisions for themselves one day. We do, however, expect them to obey what we say because they know that we love them. We direct them toward safety and have their best interests at heart, even when they don't understand. Out of love, we tell them to go to bed on time and rest and to stop eating too much junk food. We are not trying to “control their whole lives, ughhh” but rather we are trying to keep them from unnecessary, negative consequences. God wants the same for us. He gives us commands so that we know how to live in right relationship with Him and others. When He says that we should not covet our neighbors' things, it's because He knows our hearts and He knows what's best for us. When He commands us not to steal, it’s for the good of the community. We must trust God’s goodness.
God is so holy that He must not dwell with sin. When Adam and Eve sinned they were separated from God. When we sin, we put a wedge between us and God. We scream to Him “I DON'T TRUST YOU” over the chasm we have created. But when we obey Him, we show that we trust Him. We agree with scripture by our actions, showing that we trust that He is faithful, His word is true. He is good. Our obedience doesn't make it true, but our obedience shows us and others that we believe it is true.
“Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:29-31
The second way we show love to God is by loving our neighbors. God commands that we love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the second most important command that God gives (the first is to love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Deut. 6:4-5). God shows the world who He is through His people. We are His hands and feet, meaning that the work God is doing in the earth is done by people, empowered by the Holy Spirit obeying the scriptures. That's you and me, sis. We are the way that people, believers and non-believers, will see God at work on this side of heaven. We cannot save anyone, but God uses us to interact with people and sow seeds toward salvation. If I'm not loving my neighbor enough to even share the gospel with them, then I'm not loving God.
So, what now? If you have accepted the complete, sufficient sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as your ticket to being right with God; if the blood of Jesus has bridged that chasm and silenced your declaration of not trusting Jesus; if you have confessed your sins and received forgiveness from the one and only perfect Payment for sin, then you should be lavishing your love on God. You should be obeying all that God's word says, in as much as you are able to understand (not perfect obedience, but personal sacrifice toward obedience) and loving whomever God places around you. Those are the neighbors you have been sent to love.
Be empowered by the Holy Spirit, be encouraged and go love God!