Loving God means...

If someone told me they loved me, then slandered me behind my back, did not show up when they promised, was rude at times, never shared their thoughts, turned their back when I needed help, or could not look me in the eye, I’d wonder about that love statement, even doubt it totally.

God is not like that. He showed His love by sending Jesus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Yet He does not stop at that. He wants my love in return and just as a bridegroom wins the love of his bride by assurances and proofs of his love for her, so does God win our love.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

What a shame that when life does not go the way I want it to go that I think God does not love me. Human love wants me to be comfortable, to have all I need and want, but the love of God is not like that. He wants what is best for me even if it sometimes hurts.

A small example is the loving mother who will not let her protesting child eat candy all day, not before supper and not to the exclusion of nourishing food. Another example is the person who puts aside their own comfort to help others move furniture or drives them across town when their car breaks down. Love like God loves always involves self-sacrifice — at least that part of self that focuses on my own comfort.

Today’s reading points to a reality check regarding my profession of love for the Lord. It points to  children who make professions of loving their parents yet when asked to perform some little act of service, say complainingly, “Oh, can’t somebody else do it?” Real love delights to serve.

So what are my excuses? I’ve heard those of others. They say they do not share the gospel with others for fear of being rejected, or do not serve in this or that capacity for fear of failure. However, the Bible says;

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

The question is, do I trust God’s love to deliver me from fear, care, and anxiety and to give me all I need to do all that He asks? Do I trust Him to keep my heart in perfect peace even during the tough times that obedience may involve? Or am I only willing to do the ‘safe’ things?

In our church, the calls for help often involve Sunday brunch. How easy to cut up fruit, or muffins, or wash serving bowls, or sweep the floor, or take home tablecloths to launder. But what about inviting others to attend? Or teaching a dozen or more rambunctious children? Or praying several hours a day for those who do these things?

I get out of stacking chairs and some other physical service (too old, too heavy, easily out of breath) or attending some functions (no interest, no time, etc.) but in making those excuses am I resisting the love of God and His power to enable me so He can use me to love others?

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 4:21–5:5)

PRAY: Jesus, accepting Your love is much easier than returning it in the same way that You give it — by sacrificing Yourself that I might have abundant life. That life is to be spent for You, not indulged in for my own sake but poured out in serving You. Make clear what You want from me, along with granting me a deeper desire to love You by doing all that You want me to do, without excuses.

Full obedience is more than talk . . .

 

READ: John 13-16

In the list of spiritual gifts from Romans 12, study shows that the gift of teaching is a motivation to gather information so it can be shared with others. Teachers want the truths of God to be known and this reading from John  shows that Jesus is the Master Teacher. In my red-letter Bible, this section is almost entirely red as Jesus teaches His disciples (and me) about living by faith.

The down-side about the spiritual gift of teaching is that those who have it tend to gather information and pass it on as if that is all they must do to be obedient. This is an error. If God teaches me something (and He does every day) sharing it in my blog or with those around me is not enough; I’m supposed to also obey what He says.

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12–17)

The blessing is not in telling everyone else to do this, but to do it myself. God wants others to know this truth, but not at the expense of my neglect. Besides, who listens to anyone who does not follow their own advice or do what they tell others to do?

Out of this passage in John, the specifics are clear: I’m to love others as Jesus loved me, not just tell them about it. If I love Jesus, I’m to show it by keeping His commandments, not merely telling others what they are supposed to do.

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:23–24)

Being a teacher can lead to a false pride, the pride of ‘knowing’ all sorts of things, but I know from experience that “knowledge puffs up” — but “love builds up” and a love for God is seen in the obedience of what I do, not in the amount of knowledge that I have. Not only that, loving obedience produces deep joy whereas sharing truth has no such guarantee.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:10–11)

Jesus says I need to ask the Father. He will give me what I need and in receiving answers from Him, my joy will also be full. Lord, today I need from You a deeper desire to put to practice all that You have taught me, not just so I can be joyful but so Your love can be shared in deeds as well as words. Be quick to bring to my attention those times when I should be doing something that You have told me instead of merely telling others about it, as if sharing it is the only obedience necessary.