For The Love of God, Part IV

Do you realize that God has feelings? He certainly does, for if we have feelings such as love, anger, and jealousy, (being made in His image) then God must have these feelings too. If so, what do you think God feels? It is not difficult to see what we have done to Him. He created us and sustains us but He warns us against the evil. What was our response to that? Rebellion. We have been rebelling since day one so God warned us through the prophets. What did we do to those prophets? We stoned them to death and persecuted them.  After generations of prophets, in His mercy, He sent His Son.

We horribly mutilated and humiliated His Son and then we hung Him on a cross to die. All because these prophets and the Son (Jesus) challenged us to turn away from our sin against God and man. They challenged us to believe, but man in his arrogance, would not submit. Look at what we have done to the planet that He has given us. Look at the genocide and war. What an indescribable pain we have laid upon Him. If you knew the true nature of His feelings it would make you sob and shed tears uncontrollably. It is a shame what we have done to Him.

^{James 5:11}

¹¹Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

For The Love of God, Part III

In this continuing series of posts on the love of God, we delve into the very nature and meaning about having a relationship with God. It is a relationship that is not one-sided or simply about a God meeting your needs and solving your problems but seeing God as our King and Lord. We must understand that we must give to God too and be willing to serve Him as if He needed our love and our praise.

We must revere Him with respect and awe and even fear but with an understanding that all good things do come to those who love God as the bible states in Romans Chapter 8. Many people do not see evidence of God in their lives on a daily basis and many Christians try to ignore that fact (as I did for so many years). It does not have to be that way though and here is how to turn it around. Love Him and never forget Him. Every hour of the day find a way to spend time with Him or communicate with Him.

Psalm 91:14-16

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation."

For The Love of God, Part II

The most misunderstood idea about the bible is often figuring out just how to love a God that we can not see. It is easy to make God and Jesus more of an figment of our imagination, a sort of absentee God. A deity that is high above in the heavens who is not aware of us or a being far off from us. However, one of the keys to faith is understanding that God is so real that you actually have to have a REAL relationship with him.

A very important step came in my own Christian walk when the Holy Spirit revealed to me that even though I had always claimed him to be a real person in my life, God unfortunately was not a real person to me at all. He even spoke to me and said it almost in a flip kind of way.  His words I'll never forget. He said, "You don't treat me like I am real." Plain and simple. Right in the middle of prayer, that is what He said to me. I really had to stop and take a cold and hard look at my life and how I treated God on a daily basis. What I found was not so pretty. I was not investing in Him at all, I was not spending time with Him or even acknowledging Him in anyway whatsoever.  I only prayed to Him when I was lost and could not find a way out of situations on my own... when I thought all hope was gone and found myself backed up in a corner I couldn't wiggle out of. I only picked up the bible once or twice a year and I would only read it until it pissed me off.... but He didn't give up on me quite as easily because He just kept drawing me back.

It was at this time that I realized I had a lack of love in my heart for Jesus and the Father. As I rectified this problem and started spending time in His word and in prayer, I started to experience this love and an incredible inspiring awe for God. I finally understood that to have faith in Jesus Christ is not just a statement that we believe but instead to treat Him like He is your best friend and a real person in your life. I learned that through it all, (while I was so worried about being a good person for God, at least when it was convenient for me to do so), all along He only wanted me to love Him. It is not just about loving God but also loving others. Learning how to love Jesus and the Father shows us how to love others and treat people with compassion and understanding. All He wants is our love. Have you loved Jesus today?

1John 4:16-21

16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
      God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

For The Love of God

God created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is within them. He is in control of all things including the very beating of our heart. The heights and the depths all belong to him. However, mankind has sinned against him. Many men and women throughout biblical history did revere God and are noted in the bible. Yet, the vast majority of mankind has spit at him, dishonored him, hated him, would not believe in him, would not honor his laws. Despite this, God had a plan.

He chose a special people for himself called the Jews (Israelites) to be set apart from the other nations as his chosen people but the majority of them also turned their back on him. Turning to the paganism of the rest of the nations. They worshipped idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold. Worshipping the things God created instead of the Creator. Some even offered their infant children to the fire god Molech, burning them alive on altars of fire! God sent them prophets to warn them but his people turned on them and beat them and some they killed.

So God punished them and cursed his people. As a result they became hated by all the nations of the world, were conquered in battle, led away as slaves, and their cities were destroyed. Despite this, God had a plan.

He sent his Son Jesus to save them and also extended this salvation to the rest of the nations of the world. What does God want from us? To humble ourselves to his will. To love him, to honor him, to respect him, to acknowledge him, to remember him, to invest in him, and to worship him. For He is God and there is no other. He gave us life, but we kick dirt in his face, we spit at him, we test him, and many refuse to believe in him. Those that are arrogant, selfish, hateful, and love only themselves refuse to give him control. Unfortunately for them, control is not something they can give him because he is already in control. Humility is the first step in relating to God. We will never see him or experience him until we search for him with all our heart.

If you look closely, you will find that God is good and his laws are good. His laws and his ways are not evil but good natured and good for us. The moment we act in humility and give God his proper place in our lives and submit to his authority, he will bless us and protect us. Everything we touch or set our minds to will be a success.

Proverbs 8

17 I love those who love me,
       and those who seek me find me.

 18 With me are riches and honor,
       enduring wealth and prosperity.

 19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
       what I yield surpasses choice silver.

 20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
       along the paths of justice,

 21 bestowing wealth on those who love me
       and making their treasuries full.