Love God More
It was the father of the demon-possessed boy who told Jesus, “I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief. (Mark 9:24) I find myself saying, quite often, “I love you Jesus, help me love you more”.
1John 4:19 tells us that we love because He first loved us. I understand this to mean that we are not even capable of love, not real love that the Bible speaks of, until we know His love. We think we know love… the world thinks they know love… as a feeling, as conditional, something that is for things as much as people (thanks to our limited English language).
But I recently realized a deeper meaning to 1John 4:19:
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That we can only love Jesus as much as we understand and believe His love for us. If I don’t believe Jesus loves me, then I’m not capable of loving Him. For a long time in my early Christian walk I accepted that “God so loved the world” and I was part of the world so He loved me, but that’s as far as my belief went. A collective love but not a personal love. I didn’t believe that he really truly loved me for me. I ‘judged’ Him on this in many ways.
I learned the truth of God’s love for me when I prayed and prayed and prayed for Him to heal me of an embarrassing skin condition. When He would not, I accused Him of not really loving me. If He did, how could He let me suffer like this? When I was ready to listen, He revealed the truth. If He had given into my demands to be healed, He would have taught me conditional love. And I would have expected the same next time. But instead, I had to come to a place of believing God loved me regardless of what He did or didn’t do for me. And through that lesson I also came to love Him for who He is, not what He would do for me to prove His love. Put another way, if I think God loves me only when good things happen in my life, then I know nothing of His love and am not capable of loving Him any more than the love I believe in.
John 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can keep Him from loving me and thinking of me continually. Nothing separates Him from me, but what separates me from Him? My unbelief. Lord, help me overcome my unbelief.
My very basic, underlying, foundational passion for writing and teaching the Bible is for people to know God’s love for them. So much about who God is doesn’t make sense until we really understand that He loves us, personally. My desire is for people to grasp this one truth.
Our own efforts to love God more will fail. What we need is more understanding of His love, more awareness of His presence, more knowledge of His word, more belief that what He says is true. A deeper understanding will bring a deeper, growing love for God. So if, like me, you desire to love God more, seek to know His love for you. Study it. Pray about it. The more you know Him the more His love will show – not just His love for the world, but His love for you personally, individually, unconditionally, and everlasting.
1John 4:19 tells us that we love because He first loved us. I understand this to mean that we are not even capable of love, not real love that the Bible speaks of, until we know His love. We think we know love… the world thinks they know love… as a feeling, as conditional, something that is for things as much as people (thanks to our limited English language).
But I recently realized a deeper meaning to 1John 4:19:
continue reading
That we can only love Jesus as much as we understand and believe His love for us. If I don’t believe Jesus loves me, then I’m not capable of loving Him. For a long time in my early Christian walk I accepted that “God so loved the world” and I was part of the world so He loved me, but that’s as far as my belief went. A collective love but not a personal love. I didn’t believe that he really truly loved me for me. I ‘judged’ Him on this in many ways.
I learned the truth of God’s love for me when I prayed and prayed and prayed for Him to heal me of an embarrassing skin condition. When He would not, I accused Him of not really loving me. If He did, how could He let me suffer like this? When I was ready to listen, He revealed the truth. If He had given into my demands to be healed, He would have taught me conditional love. And I would have expected the same next time. But instead, I had to come to a place of believing God loved me regardless of what He did or didn’t do for me. And through that lesson I also came to love Him for who He is, not what He would do for me to prove His love. Put another way, if I think God loves me only when good things happen in my life, then I know nothing of His love and am not capable of loving Him any more than the love I believe in.
John 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can keep Him from loving me and thinking of me continually. Nothing separates Him from me, but what separates me from Him? My unbelief. Lord, help me overcome my unbelief.
My very basic, underlying, foundational passion for writing and teaching the Bible is for people to know God’s love for them. So much about who God is doesn’t make sense until we really understand that He loves us, personally. My desire is for people to grasp this one truth.
Our own efforts to love God more will fail. What we need is more understanding of His love, more awareness of His presence, more knowledge of His word, more belief that what He says is true. A deeper understanding will bring a deeper, growing love for God. So if, like me, you desire to love God more, seek to know His love for you. Study it. Pray about it. The more you know Him the more His love will show – not just His love for the world, but His love for you personally, individually, unconditionally, and everlasting.