“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.” (John 3: 16)
What a loving Father that He would give us His only begotten Son, the best gift the world has ever seen. This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. God demonstrates His love first through His covenant with Israel, then through the gift of His Son Jesus. It pleased the Father to sacrifice Jesus for our sins that we may have access to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit through the life, death, burial and resurrection of our humble Savior. What greater love could He have given us?
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise…” (Ephesians 1: 5-7 & 11-13)
The love that God bestows upon us is most deserving of all praise, honor and glory. He gave His best, He does His best and He rewards us with His best in everything. The love of God surrounds us, enfolds, watches over us, protects, guides, strengthens and comforts us.
We are God’s most valued possession. A special people called, predestined and justified. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” (Romans 8: 28-30) He has also given gifts and abilities for specific purposes. There is a treasure within each of us who profess the name of Christ. You carry great value and significance for the Kingdom, therefore He strips away all impurities out of our lives. He refines, molds, cleanses and fashions us into His perfect masterpiece. The process is somewhat uncomfortable but the finished product is something to behold.
When God sets a standard, we cannot lower it. When He sets conditions, we have no authority whatsoever to change them. We must decide that what God’s written word says we will do it, we will believe and we will practice. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep Thy precepts diligently. With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments. Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways. I will delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy Word. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy Word. I have not departed from Thy judgments: for Thou hast taught me. Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. I rejoice at Thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil.” (Psalm 119: 1-4, 10-11, 15-16, 101-102, 127 & 162)
As believers and followers of Christ we must be conformed to the image of Christ in character. To be Christ-like is to be humble and loving. We cast aside self-conceit and all pride which is interwoven into our sin nature. We must be good, faithful soldiers bearing the cross of Christ on a daily basis. We crucify the flesh and its lusts and affections. You must be dead to the world and the world dead to you. We can only do these things if we truly love God. It should come naturally without hesitation or reservation. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” (John 14: 15 & 21) The evidence of our love for God is in keeping His commandments. And not just casually but with a level of surrender designed to carefully maintain that love by constantly prioritizing His will in our lives.
We cannot love God without living holy. In doing so it shows that we are totally committed to obeying, pleasing and following Him. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29-31)
Loving God is feeding your spirit with spiritual things and starving the flesh. We choose to put more time into the Spirit than satisfying the flesh. Time invested into the spirit is never wasted. Sing, read, learn, love and apply it to your life every day. Loving God more and more takes time and effort so we do our part to feed and strengthen our spirit by denying worldliness, rejecting sin and being transformed from an old to new mindset and way of living.
God is always proactively pursuing a relationship with us so we likewise reciprocate in return. The more we pursue Him, the more natural it is to live in holiness, to pray and to exercise self-discipline. Loving God is meditating and saturating our minds with the Word of God. We think about it constantly to assure ourselves that we are in right standing with God. “My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4: 20-23) “My son, forget not My law; but let thine heart keep My commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3: 1-6)
When reading the Word of God we are transformed by the Spirit into the image of God for the praise, honor and glory of God. If I read it and don’t obey it, it does me no good. We have to put it into practice or else it would be only information with no transformation. We are a living sacrifice of worship and service to God. Loving Him passionately will show up in our lives, in our thoughts and our actions. From predestination to glorification, the Bible is the story of God redeeming His chosen people for the praise of His glory. “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations…” (Deuteronomy 7: 6 & 9)
“We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4: 19) When we understand how much God loves us it should motivate us to want to love Him joyfully in return. It should not be out of duty or obligation but because we are thankful, we want to obey Him willingly and that we want to please Him. Denying our flesh is a demonstration of our love for God. We now choose to live, act and think His way. Our mindset should be to constantly evaluate everything we say and do and to reject those things that would contradict the Word of God. Our primary motive is to glorify God and be thankful that He has drawn us to Him. The more you are thankful the more you will appreciate the journey. The pathway to blessings will always go through a time of testing and obedience to God. He never promised an easy life but an eternal, glorious life. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.” (James 1: 12)
When we love God and invest our life in Him, we go through many afflictions but God delivers us out of them all. He teaches us lessons that we would learn no other way. He draws our soul away from sin and the world so that we can be His exclusively. We have principles that we cannot and will not break even though it may cost us a great deal. We naturally desire prosperity and worldly comfort but losses and crosses are far better for us if they lead us to Christ. Our hearts love many other things besides God but He will take away that thing which takes your heart away from Him. “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” (Deuteronomy 10: 12-13)
Grow through what you go through. Spend time alone with God like Jesus did. Even Daniel knelt to pray and thank God three times a day. People are living with absolutely no concept of eternity in mind. Living only for today to satisfy themselves with no thought whatsoever of their mortality or what awaits them after this life.
A part of trusting God is looking to the future with joy and excitement, not worry and dread. He is going to work out every little detail in our life so we have nothing to fear. “But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee. For Thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt Thou compass him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5: 11-12)
So rejoice and be exceedingly glad.
“Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” (Ephesians 6: 24)
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