Love God More

It’s not always easy to do the right thing. As my husband pointed out during his sermon this past Sunday, we live in a self-centered world, where hundreds of words in the dictionary beginning with “self” exist to describe life in some way. Selfishness continually tempts us to seek our own comfort, rather than seeking God first. I’ve heard people say that the answer is to hate sin more, or have a greater desire to “do the right thing;” but I believe the true answer is to love God more. I believe this is why Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.”

This truth hit home with me even more so last week. Our sons begin college in two weeks, and there are college expenses needing attention before then. Rob and I have agreed that we want our sons to work and pay for college so they understand the responsibility and grow in their character, however, this doesn’t mean we won’t help some if needed. I had a birthday a few weeks ago and my family gave me money instead of gifts so that I could buy something I want. I already knew what I wanted to buy. In fact, it had been sitting in my online shopping cart, just waiting for me to click the purchase button when I had the money for it. As I looked at the cart, I couldn’t purchase it no matter how much I desired it, because I was compelled by a greater desire… Love.  I love my sons and knew that I would want to help them with their college expenses.

A few days later, as I thought about it… there was a little regret over not having something I wanted, but an even greater joy that came from expressing my love for my sons. I wasn’t motivated by obligation to “do the right thing,” I don’t believe hating sin or trying to “do the right thing” is a strong enough factor to influence our behavior without another underlying motivation. It’s too easy to excuse away sin or doing what’s right. I believe the greatest motivation is LOVE. Love is the most powerful force because God is love.

The book of Jeremiah is a call to God’s people to RETURN to Him. The people of Judah became unfaithful and idolatrous. They were chasing after things other than God. In Jeremiah 3:12, we see the Lord’s love and mercy towards His people as He calls them back to Him.

“Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord…”

It may be hard to relate to idolotray in our modern day, but the New Testament warns us of the pull of the world on our hearts too. Matthew 6:24 says:

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

The amplified version describes mammon as “money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord.” It’s easy to become tainted or enamored by the world because we’re surrounded by it day in and day out. As God’s people, however, He is calling us to be faithful to Him as He is faithful to us. If we’re honest, what tugs at our hearts? What draws our focus away from Him? Just as God said to His people in the book of Jeremiah, He says to us, “Return to Me…” This reminds me of when God tells the church in the Book of Revelation to return to their “first Love.” If we were to ask ourselves if He is our first love, what would our honest answer be? Remember, as Matthew 6:24 says, we can’t truly love both. We will love one or hate the other.

I was ministering to a young woman this week, reminding her that God’s arms are always open. He never turns His back on us. He’s always there – all we have to do is run into His loving arms. I believe the Lord is calling us into a deeper intimacy with Him, so that our love for Him abounds. He wants our whole hearts. He doesn’t want to share us with the world. And He deserves it, because He is God and there is none like Him. When our love for God abounds, our hearts will be to pursue Him first without any question. The struggle to “do what’s right” or avoid sin will lessen, because our hearts will be fully His. I believe each of us, no matter where we’re at in our walk with God, can grow to love God more. And the good news is, all we have to do is spend time with Him.  In this, as we experience Him, His love for us will capture our hearts fully.