Does Your Love For God
Affect Your Life?

 

   Imagine a life where the only worry you have about telling lies is whether or not anyone will find out. A life where just anything is a valid reason to forsake the assembly. A life where your only concern about missing worship services is figuring out a believable excuse to tell the preacher. Imagine a life in which you give little or none of what you earn back to the Lord, and what you do give goes into the plate reluctantly. A life where your decisions are not affected by your relationship with God. What did David mean when he wrote: “With my whole heart I seek you” (Ps 119:10)?

 

   The Lord has asked some difficult things of His children. “Love your enemies” (Mt 5:44), forgive endlessly (Mt 18:21-22), give with a cheerful heart (II Cor 9:7). Some of these commands don’t come naturally to us as humans.  So what is our motivation to do them?  LOVE! Think of anything that you don’t like doing…then imagine that it needed to be done for someone you love. When we grow to love the Lord wholeheartedly, none of his commands will seem grievous, even when they’re not easy.  John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (I Jn 5:3). His commands are not burdensome? This is not because they are not difficult, but when we love Him, we will not dread obeying Him.

 

   Now, imagine a life in which you don’t fret over whether to miss services for an all-star game. A life where you wouldn’t be in a dilemma when acquaintances invite you to participate in a worldly activity that is not becoming of a Christian. A life in which you aren’t torn between Wednesday night Bible study and the American Idol finale, and the super bowl doesn’t come close to having the appeal of assembling with God’s faithful on a Sunday night. A life where your thoughts are filled with dreams of heaven, and your desires are continually for pleasing God where your words are pure and you are the same godly person wherever you go. Is this your life? Does your whole heart belong to the Almighty God?

 

-         - - - Darrell Powell