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| HOW DO WE LOVE GOD? |
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22:36 Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 22:38 This is the first and great commandment. 22:39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. I love my wife. I know her name (Beth) and her face. I recognize her voice. I know her heart. I have spent time with her, and continue to spend time with her, talking, listening, sharing, laughing, arguing, crying, praying. My love for her is demonstrated by care. By things I do. But simply doing things for her, and checking in periodically, do not take in her need for regular close and intimate relationship. Without that, there is no love.
We're called to love God with everything we are. So next question: How do we do that?
HOW DO WE LOVE GOD? |
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| To add a comment to "HOW DO WE LOVE GOD?" |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| What's the greek word used for love in "Thou shalt love"? That would help a lot. |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| Jess--good point. The Greek word in this instance is agapao. Makes it even tougher, doesn't it? |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| So we're supposed to love God with everything we have and are...totally and unconditionally. And we're supposed to love our neighbor with the same heart and desire and care that we have for ourselves...totally and unconditionally. Whoah! |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| Well, it makes it easier in a way. Agape is selfless love, sacrificial love, charity. Isn't it interesting that God shows agape to us, and the command is to show agape back? I'm glad the God who showed me agape is "an ever present help in time of trouble". In other words, the God who wants me to show Him agape will work in my heart so I do so. |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| And love ourselves that way, too. Have you show agape to yourself today? The verse definately ties showing God, our neighbor, and ourselves agape love together. |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| Right on. He asks us to do anything that He doesn't also enable us to do. |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| I wonder whether it's "God enables me to do His will", or "God does His will through me when I submit to Him"? Part of the reason I go to 12 step is because I can't manage to control myself. It's when I give it to God, and submit to all of His New Testement commands concerning healing that I stop the bad behavior (at least that's been my experience). |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| This is a tightrope. He enables me or works through me? I vote both. We have no inate capacity left to do His will ourselves, at least in our 'old man'. But what is the reality of the 'new man', the new creation He makes us to be. In one place we're told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but if we continue reading we find that it is because he is working his works through us/in us. We're told that we are created to walk in the works He has prepared for us from the foundation of the world. I believe this goes hand in hand with the business Jesus was talking about when He said He did nothing that He didn't first see His Father doing, and said nothing He didn't first hear Him saying. This is the same walk we should have. And as we grow in intimacy and the leading of the Spirit, this relationship between seeing/doing and hearing/speaking should become virtually instantaneous first nature. We are Spirit-filled and controlled active agents. |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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I'll never figure out issues like this. It makes following God alluring =D |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| Alluring. I like that. |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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How do we love God?
Love is a motivator, it motivates people to do things for those whom they love. If we love God, we'll try to get to know him, to know what pleases him. God knows our heart, so he knows the motivations behind everything we do! Are we doing it for God, or for something or someone else? Idols are easy for God to spot! It's also easy to see how a person's love for God will be manifested in reading and studying scripture, talking to God (prayer), doing things for others, worshiping, etc.... Agapao, I could have guessed that. That's the word for a love that is active. How we live our lives, what we do, demonstrates whether we love God, ourselves, or something else.
That's my attempt to put my answer in words. Good question, Don! I'll bet there are as many answers as there are people! ~mike |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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| Thank you Mike. I agree that love is a motivator. I often tell foks that love is a verb and not a noun. I guess what I'm driving at, and asking myself all the time, has to do with the sense of intimacy and caring that drives that action. I don't think I'm blending types of love here. I'm just looking at that completely sold out unconditional love that agapao indicates and wondering what that looks like practically when talking about loving God. I'm afraid we talk about loving God, but in our actions we keep wanting to keep Him in His place. We have conditions that we place on our love, limiting the degree to which we act first with His best interests at heart. And I wonder if we aren't actually encouraged to keep those conditions and limits in place, with fear of seeming 'imbalanced' or 'fanatical'. Your thoughts? Anyone? |
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| December 14, 2007 |
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I'm afraid we talk about loving God, but in our actions we keep wanting to keep Him in His place. Isn't that just our sinful nature's influence? Isaiah 53:6 (NASB)
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. |
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