DO I REALLY LOVE GOD?
Sakkie Parsons
Vertaal van Afrikaans: “Het ek God werklik lief?”
People say so easily:
“I love God.”
But do I really love God?
When my children were still in the house and I did something for them, I did it with unconditional love. There was nothing I expected from them in return. It was just wonderful for me to do this for them with this love in my heart.
This is the closest to the explanation of how my love for God should be that I can think of right now – but my love for God should be much more than that.
You see Jesus say:
Matthew 10:37
37“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
You see, God gave His all, to save me from eternal life in Hell.
John 3:16-18
16“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. 18Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].
So, for me it is just good sense that my love for our Lord will be a love, which is subordinate to any love I feel for anyone else, or anything else.
See how Jesus say our love for God must be:
Mat 22:37-38
37And Jesus replied to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment.
I also shouldn’t think that I can fool God because I go to church regularly, or give a lot of money to charity and do a lot of good deeds.
My daughter would put it this way:
“You impress God not in the least.”
Look what Jesus is saying to those who want to impress God in that way:
Luke 11:42-44
42“But woe (judgment is coming) to you Pharisees, because you [self-righteously] tithe mint and rue and every [little] garden herb [tending to all the minutiae], and yet disregard and neglect justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done, without neglecting the others. 43Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be respectfully greeted in the market places. 44“Woe to you! For you are like graves which are unmarked, and people walk over them without being aware of it [and are ceremonially unclean].”
What does Jesus say – What must we do if we love Him?
John 14:15
15“If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.
John 14:21
21“The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].”
What are these commands of Him that Jesus is talking about?
Mat 22:35-40
35One of them, a lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law], asked Jesus a question, to test Him: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37And Jesus replied to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ 40“The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”
For many people, the second part in this command of Jesus is a huge problem.
How can I fulfill the second part of this commandment of Jesus?
For the true child of God, it is simple.
Paul explains it this way:
Rom 13:9-10
9The commandments, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor [it never hurts anyone]. Therefore [unselfish] love is the fulfillment of the Law.
Furthermore, John tells us the following:
1 John 4:19-21
20If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him.
So, if I love Him, and it is my talk – let it also be my walk.
Greetings,
Sakkie