How Much Do I Love God?
Lately, if you have been reading my previous posts, you would notice that I have been so captivated and enamored to share God's love and to be vocal about God's love that Jesus embodied.
When Jesus entered into the world, He performed numerous miraculous signs among the people, and genuinely cared for those who were hurting, broken, and desperate, and He gave them hope and salvation through His death and resurrection.
There is no doubt that the immensity of God's love for us transcends all boundaries. He just loves us so much and He showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us and to save us in so doing.
If you choose to believe in Him and receive Him, you would experience God's love in ways your eyes have not seen before. God brings tremendous change and revival through His love that nobody is the same ever again.
If you choose to believe what the Bible has testified and what countless more people have witnessed and lived to tell their story - the redemption story that Jesus did for us - you would see for yourselves that indeed people's lives change through the transformation power that God manifests in their lives.
Miracles do happen, hearts do change and melt, people turn away from their old sinful lives and never return once they accept Jesus, and so much joy, peace, hope, and love overflow that you are urged to share it.
These are the things that God's love has done for us who believe and receive Jesus Christ. And it is such a wonderful turning point for many people because before they accepted Christ, many resorted to drugs, promiscuity and they were murderers, thieves, adulterers, addicts, and steeped in sin.
Before any of us came to Christ, we were steeped in sin. I myself have gone through those painful moments and it even cost the relationship with my family. But because Jesus saved me, I am no longer buried in sin but I am renewed and have eternal life. I am free. We are freed by Jesus.
As we ponder and think about God's love for us, I think it is also important to ask ourselves, "How much do I really love God?" We know that God loves us so much and Jesus showed us that when He stretched His arms out wide as they nailed Him to the cross.
It is said in Scripture that "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." God's love for us stretches far and wide that it even surpasses the vastness of the universe. Now, with what measure do we love God?
In the previous post, we talked about how we know that the love we give and receive is genuine and the Bible tells us that genuine love can be shown through actions and truth not merely in words or tongue.
If we say that we love God, how then can we show it? The Bible also gives different ways but there is one thing that can show how much we truly love God and that is whether we seek Him earnestly in everything we do.
If we truly love God, we should love no other thing before or above Him. There should be nothing and no one that we love more than we love God.
We cannot love the worldly things and love God at the same time and so we must choose. We cannot tread the line between God and the world because if we truly love God, our lives must be devoted to Him.
A few things we can ask ourselves would be "How much time we spend with God every day?" or "Do we put God first in our lives by doing His will above our own?" or "Is God the top priority in my life and I live only for His glory and not my own so I will obey His commands no matter how difficult they may be, by the grace of God, I will do them?"
Just as Jesus stretched His arms wide as He was nailed to the cross, are we also ready to offer ourselves before God and give our lives for the glory of God?
Will we also stretch our hands and lift them up to God as a sign of surrender and humility before God, asking Him to take over our lives so that His will may be done in and through us?
We must then count the costs and determine exactly what we are getting ourselves into. Loving God and following Jesus means that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.
It is not going to be an easy ride which many have supposed and at times, suffering does come our way but we have Jesus on our side so we must believe and trust that He has the best plan and works together for our good.
Jesus will help us overcome the different struggles we face just as He overcame the world.
We can choose to be victorious over our circumstances and if we lay these down before God, humble ourselves before Him and ask for His help, He will carry us under His wings and deliver us through the problems.
He will help us soar above the crashing waves that try to shake our lives and set our feet atop the rock.
So how much do you love God? How much are you willing to endure for His glory? Will you take up your cross and follow your Christ?
Being a follower and disciple of Jesus is such a deep commitment that we should take seriously because if we say we are disciples of Jesus yet do not follow His example, then our words make no sense and we are merely fooling ourselves.
The apostle James says that faith without works is dead. He means that if we say that we have faith in Jesus and we believe in Him and have received Him in our lives, then we must follow His ways.
That faith must manifest itself through the changes and transformation that happens in our lives - in our thoughts, words, and actions - because when we receive Jesus, we also receive the Holy Spirit who will help change us and give us power to live a righteous life for God.
Our faith should be reflected in our attitude, habits, and character.
I hope that we who believe in Jesus and have accepted Him into our lives would continue to grow and flourish in our relationship and that we would not walk away.
Are we willing to go on a long, arduous, tedious, blistering, painful journey searching for God? Will we hold on to God especially during the bad moments that we face because we love Him so much and have everything we need as long as He is with us?
Many people in the Bible who deeply loved God and were completely devoted to Him expressed their love to the utmost even under extreme circumstances.
When Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, instead of blaming God and getting angry with their situation, they decided to praise God and sang worship songs to God because they loved God with all their heart and know that God is with them.
God answered them and shook the prison which opened the doors and loosened the chains.
Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had such a deep devotion to Jesus that she wiped Jesus' feet with a pint of pure nard worth a year's wages. With such passion and zeal, are we willing to give God our all? Take a look at the old woman who gave two pennies as an offering.
As opposed to the rich men who gave thousands, it is the woman who gave a worthy offering and sacrifice to God because those two pennies were the only money she had and instead of keeping it to herself and her family, she gave it to God.
How much are we willing to sacrifice for God so that we can express how much we truly love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and spirit? Ask yourself, "How much do I love God?" and think about God's love as you answer that question. Will you go distance to love God even at the cost of your own life?
God Bless!
When Jesus entered into the world, He performed numerous miraculous signs among the people, and genuinely cared for those who were hurting, broken, and desperate, and He gave them hope and salvation through His death and resurrection.
There is no doubt that the immensity of God's love for us transcends all boundaries. He just loves us so much and He showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us and to save us in so doing.
If you choose to believe in Him and receive Him, you would experience God's love in ways your eyes have not seen before. God brings tremendous change and revival through His love that nobody is the same ever again.
If you choose to believe what the Bible has testified and what countless more people have witnessed and lived to tell their story - the redemption story that Jesus did for us - you would see for yourselves that indeed people's lives change through the transformation power that God manifests in their lives.
Miracles do happen, hearts do change and melt, people turn away from their old sinful lives and never return once they accept Jesus, and so much joy, peace, hope, and love overflow that you are urged to share it.
These are the things that God's love has done for us who believe and receive Jesus Christ. And it is such a wonderful turning point for many people because before they accepted Christ, many resorted to drugs, promiscuity and they were murderers, thieves, adulterers, addicts, and steeped in sin.
Before any of us came to Christ, we were steeped in sin. I myself have gone through those painful moments and it even cost the relationship with my family. But because Jesus saved me, I am no longer buried in sin but I am renewed and have eternal life. I am free. We are freed by Jesus.
As we ponder and think about God's love for us, I think it is also important to ask ourselves, "How much do I really love God?" We know that God loves us so much and Jesus showed us that when He stretched His arms out wide as they nailed Him to the cross.
It is said in Scripture that "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." God's love for us stretches far and wide that it even surpasses the vastness of the universe. Now, with what measure do we love God?
If we say that we love God, how then can we show it? The Bible also gives different ways but there is one thing that can show how much we truly love God and that is whether we seek Him earnestly in everything we do.
If we truly love God, we should love no other thing before or above Him. There should be nothing and no one that we love more than we love God.
We cannot love the worldly things and love God at the same time and so we must choose. We cannot tread the line between God and the world because if we truly love God, our lives must be devoted to Him.
A few things we can ask ourselves would be "How much time we spend with God every day?" or "Do we put God first in our lives by doing His will above our own?" or "Is God the top priority in my life and I live only for His glory and not my own so I will obey His commands no matter how difficult they may be, by the grace of God, I will do them?"
Will we also stretch our hands and lift them up to God as a sign of surrender and humility before God, asking Him to take over our lives so that His will may be done in and through us?
We must then count the costs and determine exactly what we are getting ourselves into. Loving God and following Jesus means that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.
It is not going to be an easy ride which many have supposed and at times, suffering does come our way but we have Jesus on our side so we must believe and trust that He has the best plan and works together for our good.
Jesus will help us overcome the different struggles we face just as He overcame the world.
We can choose to be victorious over our circumstances and if we lay these down before God, humble ourselves before Him and ask for His help, He will carry us under His wings and deliver us through the problems.
He will help us soar above the crashing waves that try to shake our lives and set our feet atop the rock.
So how much do you love God? How much are you willing to endure for His glory? Will you take up your cross and follow your Christ?
Being a follower and disciple of Jesus is such a deep commitment that we should take seriously because if we say we are disciples of Jesus yet do not follow His example, then our words make no sense and we are merely fooling ourselves.
The apostle James says that faith without works is dead. He means that if we say that we have faith in Jesus and we believe in Him and have received Him in our lives, then we must follow His ways.
That faith must manifest itself through the changes and transformation that happens in our lives - in our thoughts, words, and actions - because when we receive Jesus, we also receive the Holy Spirit who will help change us and give us power to live a righteous life for God.
Our faith should be reflected in our attitude, habits, and character.
Are we willing to go on a long, arduous, tedious, blistering, painful journey searching for God? Will we hold on to God especially during the bad moments that we face because we love Him so much and have everything we need as long as He is with us?
Many people in the Bible who deeply loved God and were completely devoted to Him expressed their love to the utmost even under extreme circumstances.
When Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, instead of blaming God and getting angry with their situation, they decided to praise God and sang worship songs to God because they loved God with all their heart and know that God is with them.
God answered them and shook the prison which opened the doors and loosened the chains.
Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had such a deep devotion to Jesus that she wiped Jesus' feet with a pint of pure nard worth a year's wages. With such passion and zeal, are we willing to give God our all? Take a look at the old woman who gave two pennies as an offering.
As opposed to the rich men who gave thousands, it is the woman who gave a worthy offering and sacrifice to God because those two pennies were the only money she had and instead of keeping it to herself and her family, she gave it to God.
How much are we willing to sacrifice for God so that we can express how much we truly love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and spirit? Ask yourself, "How much do I love God?" and think about God's love as you answer that question. Will you go distance to love God even at the cost of your own life?
God Bless!
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