Loving God and Loving Jesus
One of the most abused and misused words in the dictionary is the word love.
Example: Some people say that they love to drink; others that they love to gamble, or they love sports or money, etc. The word love is used indiscriminately for anything that is desired or sought after. Among teenagers and young adults love has become synonymous with sex, so that the difference between the two terms usually is ignored, obscured, misunderstood or exchanged. Sex means love and love means sex they say.
All the things quoted above are not love at all, for they tend only to gratify the passion, pleasure, and desires of the one seeking them. These are egotistical desires and not geared toward giving but only selfishly receiving.
On the other hand love, in its purity, means giving without any thought of getting something back in return. Giving, with this kind of love is done for the pure joy of giving.
A shining example of this kind of love is the Love of God and the Love of Jesus. In John 3:16 we read that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Here is love in the most supreme action, a true giving from the heart, not because mankind deserved or merited it. We also read that “God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Our Lord Jesus Christ has the same love as the Father. On one occasion He said, "For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19;10) and “I am come that they might have life…more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:10,11).
Shall we love God for what He gives us or what we hope to receive? This would be a selfish love. Rather, we must love God for what He is, as He is revealed to us in the Bible; His loving-kindness, infinite wisdom, unlimited power and exact justice. Our love should come not only from our heads but from our hearts. A desire to love, worship, and obey Him should take possession of us and be the driving force of our lives. How much should we love God'? Could we love Him as much as He loves us? Hardly! Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord 2 thy God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength, and all your mind…” (Luke 10:27).
This ought to be the daily rule in our relationship with God. He must be supreme in our thoughts, our hopes, our plans, our affections and our deeds. He will not accept any other place or role in our lives. With Him it is all or nothing. In view of this, what position should our parents, children, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, and close friends occupy in our affections? Don't they come first? Absolutely not! Our Lord states this matter very clearly in Matt. 10:37, "He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” This means that doing God's will - obeying Him - comes before obeying or pleasing those closest to us. How often we miss or forget this important point in our relationship with members of our families.
The Psalmist echoes our Lord's words when he says, “Love the Lord, all ye His saints” (Psalm 31:23) and proceeds with a warning, for “The Lord preserves all them that love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy” (Psalm 145:20).
What about our love for our Savior? It should be no less than our love for our Father. Jesus said, "For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came out from God" (John 16:27). Is Jesus worthy of our love, adoration, subjection, affection, and our obedience? Unquestionably! Listen to the new song as sung by the twenty four elders in Rev. 5:9-13:
"And they sang a new song,, saying, ‘You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals: for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and have made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.’ And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and blessing.’ And every creature which Is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that is in them, heard I saying. ‘Blessing and honor, and glory and power be unto Him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever’"
The line of the hymn fills our heart…”My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou…if ever I loved Thee…my Jesus, t’is now!
G. Boccaccio
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