A Manifesto Of Love: How To Show Our Love For God

A Manifesto Of Love: How To Show Our Love For God
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and
with all your soul and
with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 37-40

The question I am asking is very practical question, knowing that the quotes above are more focused on the "what". My question is the "how" - how will I know I love God? How will others see I love God?

But before that, let's ask the "why" question.

Why should God be supreme in our lives above all else - above all people - above all things, above and below?

The one answer is that our God is a jealous God - He wants us all for Himself. He knows if we stray from seeking the Kingdom and rightness with the King of the Kingdom, we get into all kinds of trouble and go down a slippery slope into the darkness of sin.

This deviation usually ends in being seduced by the worship of our modern culture's gods. The god of greed (wealth). The god of fame (prestige). And the god of power (influence, ego).

These god's become very addictive and form attachments that are not easy to break from.

The other answer to "why" is that loving God makes total sense. He created us. He loves us "with a love so strong it's hard to understand" - as the song goes. Plus He demonstrated His love in sending Christ to teach and show us what love is and then reveal the ultimate of sacrificial or "agape" love.

Let's turn our attention the "how". How do I know I love God? How will others know when they look at my life? How does God want me to love Him?

The answers are scattered throughout the Scriptures so I want to look mainly at one chapter in the New Testament and link to all the questions I just raised.

The chapter is the well-known "love" chapter 1 Corinthians 13. Though this appears at first to look at love between humans, it clearly says "Love is..." and we know that "God is love".

Here goes... just a glimpse of how we can love God in practical terms.

1. Love is not the manifestation of our talents, the gifts of the Spirit or as in the Old Testament, bringing God many sacrifices. Neither is God impressed by major initiatives to change the world, face great hardship or "move mountains".

2. Love is listening to God, seeking His ways and being obedient to what He reveals to us - as in daily wisdom, "daily bread". Seeking His power (not our ego) to live daily and accomplish what He wants not what we want.

3. Love is not driven by goals, success and great visions.

4. Love is being patient with God and kind to our fellow human, as we await the unfolding of God's plans. We need not force things. Actually, force can saboutage God's will and create problems for those (individuals/ teams) we work for and with to reach His purposes.

5. Love is not envious of what God is doing in other's lives - what they have or have accomplished. Love is not proud and boastful of its successes.

6. Love is "proud" of God and what He accomplishes - sometimes through us. Love delights in what God reveals and does. Love is amazed at how God uses us despite that we deserve no mercy nor grace - we are depraved by nature, saved by grace.

7. Love does not look down on His creation, seeking to serve ego.

8. Just as love honours God, so too love honours and respects mankind He created. And so we become aware of how self-defeating ego is and we take action to deal with its intrusive nature.

9. Love is not easily frustrated and angered - towards God and mankind. Wanting "our way", "right now" or at all costs creates anger, disappointment and resentment.

10. Love is knowing that the Kingdom of self needs to be conquered, and takes action to do this. Bob Dylan wrote:

"You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody."

11. Love takes no joy in evil, lies and deception.

12. Love for God means I submit to the Holy Spirit to produce goodness, truth and integrity. Love lives honestly before others seeking truth and authentic relations. Love avoids phoniness before God and humanity.

13. When I love God I protect His (and other peoples) name and reputation. I trust Him and entrust my life to Him. I remain hopeful and persevere as I face "delays" and as I await His answers and the fulfilment of His promises.

 14. Love never gives up... yes, we will fail our own attempts to love and follow God, but the love He has "birthed" in us is perfect, incorruptible, stable and eternal. I can never fail. It will always return home. Love, like a GPS, will always help me find my way back to the heart of the father where I belong.

I know so well the truth and reality of this last point (point 14#). I was lost for 20 years, in blindness, rrogance, hurt, disillusionment and anger.

Mid 2019 God's love began to draw me back to Him in such tender and clear, indisputable ways. I know that "call" of God - His drawing power. His love... and knowing now that His love was a magnet - a seed within a dark heart.

On a final note about the "how" I demonstrate my love for God.

Remember in Matthew 22:39 ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Let's turn our attention to the story of what love for your neighbour is, in Luke 10:29-37.

A simple demonstration of my love for God is when I have mercy on my "neighbour" - and neighbour is ANYONE who crosses my path, not the so-called "nice people".

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

In conclusion, to love and obey is better than to offer sacrifices to God. 1 Sam. 15:22