Why Do I Love God?

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

To be real and real fair the title question is a loaded question. I have talked with many people and the most common answer was, “Because I am supposed too.”  The second most reply was, “He is love/power.”   However, I know it is much more than a one or three word response. If I asked you to tell me why you love your parents, spouse, or best friend, you would give a story of not only why, but when you fell in love with that person. Let me make it clear I am not trying to say you don’t love God…I am just saying most don’t love Him with the “ALL” part as outlined in scripture.

The first and principle commandment in the bible gives us the sum and amount we are called to love GOD. When it says “ALL” in the bible—to me it is saying I should be connected to Him, have knowledge of Him, value Him, delight in Him, have faith and trust in Him, worship Him, and be obedient to Him.  God is to be loved for more than just His perfection, works, and grace. I believe it is His relationship with each of us that defines our love. His love is strange because we each receive it in a different way.  The heart, soul, might, and mind requires us to give ALL of ourselves to Him, and with such a love that it is stronger than death. We find ourselves divided between God and the world allowing the substance of the world to win out. 

That is why we can give 100 reasons we love a car or movie and only a hand full of why’s to why we love God.  Peter is asked three times by Jesus, “Do you love me?” Peter’s response is paraphrased as, it’s impossible for us to love God with the same passion God loves us. But, God understands and accepts our weakness and continues to love us, as well as forgives us, at the same time. We seek perfection of love as an idea and not as a raw emotion.

The love for God also comes from seeing His qualities on display. The true righteousness and holiness are qualities possessed perfectly by only God. Amazingly, God uses His Spirit to make those qualities a growing reality in our lives when we surrender to Him. When we commit to let the Spirit work on maturing us in our weakest areas, we find God’s love to be enough to strengthen us. To be transformed we need to keep in mind the key word “ALL” in the following scripture. In Luke 10:27 Christ said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” My question is, does your love cover the “ALL” during good and bad times, which would be better known as unconditional. The question’s answer is more of a demonstration verses just a statement. I do love God, but to be honest I am and will continue to work on the "ALL" part daily.

Living Life Large 4 Christ,

Pastor Frank Lott

On Your Way To......

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

We are living in an instantaneous culture. We are always going from place A to place B without thinking, or for many, caring about the journey.  We want our food instantly, so they have microwaves and fast-food. We want entertainment instantly, so they have on-demand movies and cable television. We want, we want, and we want it all right now, so we can have stress free and happy lives! But the truth is, when on our way to someplace, we forget the importance of the journey.

We are on the way to finding gratification for short-lived pleasures in our day to day lives. We think that with so many ways to fulfill all our desires we are happier today than any other time in history. But, you don’t have to look far to realize that’s just not true. We have more hurts, pains, and poor choices because we look at the right now versus the right way.

On any journey we take baggage with us to supply us with comfort. Our bags are not packed with shirts, jeans, and toiletries but with the junk of our lives. We pack away insults, hurts, abandonments, pride, and sins to hide them from the world. After a while we find out we are going nowhere fast because we are weighed down and can’t find our breath much less peace.

It’s when we are on the way to the cross that we see Jesus and His journey. We see the fulfilling, accepting, and abundant life in Him, and not the pleasures of the fast pace world. On our way to the cross we find heartfelt answers with purpose and meanings. But the journey needs to be seen, so I have just a glimpse:

On the way to the cross Jesus…. showed us the way, the light, the truth.

On the way to the cross Jesus…. showed God’s love unconditionally.

On the way to the cross Jesus…. made it personal for us and to us.

We are moving so fast that we either forget or have never really yielded our lives to Jesus.  It is scary to look inside and see all the junk we carry around and think we can just excuse it away, because the baggage is too big or heavy to unpack by ourselves.  Just ask, and with a true heart, give your baggage to Jesus. Give your anger, your guilt, your fear and your sins to Him. 

When you place your faith in Jesus, you are secured in Him forever. If you have simply paid lip service and have never truly given your heart to Him, surrender today. It’s never too late to make Jesus the Lord of your life, and on your way to the cross others will see you have made it personal.

Live Life Large 4 Christ!

Pastor Frank Lott