Our love for God is so much more than a warm fuzzy feeling we might get when we sing "O How I Love Jesus"! As has been noted in the comments to this question we are to "love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength". In other words, our total being. This statement reflects our attitude and level of commitment toward God. We should love and serve with our total being.
In asking the question, what does our love for God look like, I had an answer in mind. Jesus said in John 14:15 "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." I know of no passage that more clearly expresses how we demonstrate our love for God than this one! It is one thing to say "I love Jesus" and quite another to demonstrate to God and all the world the truth of that statement.
We have been created for good works according to Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount "Matthew 5:16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." The good works that we do in being obedient to God demonstrate our love for Him! This in turn brings the purest form of praise and thanksgiving to Him.
This is a concept that we understand well. As a parent, the hugs and kisses of a child are wonderful. The are cherished expressions of affection. However they fail to express love in the way that obedience does. A child which truly loves their parents expresses that love by doing what is expected and required of them. Hugs and kisses are no substitute for obedience. They are however what we might call the "icing on the cake".
I enjoy doing mindless work sometimes. It provides time to do something visibly productive while affording an opportunity to think or reflect on something totally unrelated. As I was picking apples the other day I was thinking about this subject. Love and obedience, each is the expression of the other. Then I remembered the excuses we offer for not doing what we are supposed to. Years ago it was popular to say "The devil made me do it!" As one thought led to another the question came to mind, "What can someone else make me do?" So that is the question for you to ponder. Have a happy!
Why Does It Matter?
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He remembers what the squall was, but his mom and dad never even had a
clue. Not even when the event took place. There is nothing quite like the
experience...
5 years ago
6 comments:
Josiah, That question reminds me of the statement: No one can make you feel inferior with out your permission. ;p) Lol Deboraw
Dear Josiah,
Many of the church during the Roman Empire found that (to their shame)the soldiers and townsfolk could indeed make them recant their belief in Christ. Many more found that the same parties (ie soldiers and townsfolk) actually made them more devoted to Christ.
On the one hand, we have people that gave themselves over to fear of the physical repercussions their continued faith would engender. These very obviously forgot the Scripture "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28).
On the other hand, we have people who gave themselves over to the fear of the Spiritual repercussions that a denial of their faith would engender. These believed God as those listed in Hebrews 11 did, and as Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans 8:31 when he said "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" And not to forget Jesus' own words to the Smyrna congregation in Revelation 2:10 "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
Can someone make me do something? By influence? Yes! By torture? I pray to God I never find out but I would like to believe that I would never give in. As John Huss is recorded as saying upon the heretic pyre "If you kill me, you take from me that which I most hate and give me that which I most desire."
Christian
Christian, thanks for the good comment. I just have one more question. In the case of Eve, the Devil really did make her do it, right?
Josiah, and Christian, that was a very good comment. Most honestly christian folks I'm sure would pray that their faith would be such that they would endure. I think it was Joan of Arc who said, "You can torture me into saying what you want me to say, but my heart will always believe." Of course we know what happened to her anyway.
Deboraw
Dear Josiah,
Thanks for allowing me the opportunity for a shameless plug of my blog: www.indepthchristian.blogspot.com where we just covered the temptation of Woman.
I feel that I should have added a little more to my discussion of the influential aspect of making someone to sin. The person who sins is responsible for their sin and their sin alone. No one can lay the blame for their sins at the feet of someone else such as the devil. So, the fact that the devil influenced Woman through deceit to sin does not mean that the devil is responsible for the act of woman eating the fruit (sounds strange I know). Woman, and Woman alone, is responsible for the act of eating the fruit otherwise known as disobeying God. This means that yes, the devil made her do it and is responsible for laying the stumbling block in front of her (see Paul's discourse upon stumblingblocks in I Corinthians 8). It also means that yes, the woman listened and ate and is responsible for disobeying God and laying a stumblingblock in front of her husband.
Christian
Josiah, Another aspect of the discussion is that whereas the devil laid the stumbling block and is therefore responsible for the sin of stumbling block laying (yes, that is a sin, see Paul's discourse on stumbling blocks I Cor. 8, smol) he did not 'make' her sin. She in turn was guilty of stumbling block laying also, but... Deboraw
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