“Loving God – really loving Him – means living out His commands no matter what the cost.” – Chuck Colson
One of the most important things a Success-Minded Person can do in life is to love God. For some people that sounds like a no-brainer. They will tell you “Of course I love God. He is God, what’s not to love?” For others, who feel a bit shyer in the presences of a holy and powerful God would state, “I try to love God and do all He asks of me. I am only human and I fail so often.” Where both statements are true, they are both missing the point. I believe it is because we do not really understand what it means to love God.
I am not one who wants to condemn every one for “not getting it right” in their relationship to God or anything else. The truth is loving God is not complicated or sensitive. God is not some picky old curmudgeon who is just waiting for you to mess up and then fuss that you don’t love Him. God is gentle, caring and loves us far more than we could ever love Him in the first place. He delights in you and welcomes all the love and care you have for Him with an open heart. 1 John tells us that God is love, He knows all about it and He offers it freely. Our loving God is more for us than it is for Him.
LOVE IS ACTION
Success-Minded People know that love is an action word. Just because you say you love someone does not mean it is true. Frankly, words are cheap. Love is also not just a feeling. The feelings that come with love are caused by the actions done by love. Love is also never a given. You do not love your spouse because they are your spouse. You do not love your family just because they are your family. Likewise, you do not love God just because He is God. Blaise Pascal said, “The knowledge of God is very far from the love of Him.”
WE OBEY BECAUSE WE LOVE
Scripture is clear that we are called to love God and serve Him out of love. You first have to have a relationship with Him to know and love Him. Seeing God as some cosmic being that is to be feared and obeyed is not showing love to Him. Augustine the early Church monk and thinker said, “Wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love.” We do as God has commanded us not because we fear that He will be unhappy with us but because we love Him and desire to please Him in any way we can.
BEING HIS
My desire here is to help you see that we obey and follow God because we love Him. We do not do it to earn His love or to keep Him from getting mad at us. In Christ there is freedom and release. The better you know Jesus the more you love Him. He showed us His love by giving His life for us. Can we do any less? I do not want to do any less. During a trip to Ireland a few years back I came across a tombstone of a 17th century nun in an old churchyard. Her epitaph spoke so clearly to me and since has become the cry of my heart. It simply read: “I am His and His I choose to be.”
© 2011 John Patrick Hickey
