“….Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

This is the most important commandment our Lord Jesus reminds us of the Love for God. Our minds are to be as fully yielded to God and as actively engaged in loving Him as our hearts and souls are.

Have you ever wondered how to show your love for God? Jesus answered this question in     John 14:21-24: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself in him,” “Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” We show our love for God by “having” His commandments in our hearts and obeying them in our daily life.

So what is love? There is the romantic definition offered by Webster’s Dictionary that says, “to hold dear; to cherish; to like or desire actively.” Then there is a Spiritual definition of love described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;” “Rejoiceth not in iniquiy, but rejoiceth in the truth;” “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Thus love can be described as patience, kindness, long suffering, endurance and sacrifice. And then the ultimate definition of love is found in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He did that because He loves you, not because you love Him. And because of His love, one day you will be with Him in heaven.

In our love relationship with God, we should have a response to His declaration of love for us. When in His presence we should find ourselves feeling happy and joyful. Does God know how we feel about Him because of our actions? Do we pursue God as a demonstration of our love for Him? God delights in our expressions of love for Him as we pursue Him, not just one day a week, but every day of the week.

How do we pursue God? Everyday that we spend time reading the Bible we are pursuing God. Everyday that we spend time in prayer we are pursuing God, Everyday that we spend time in worship we are pursuing God. Everyday that we spend ministering to others we are pursuing God. Pursuing God….most of us would pursue God on Sunday in worship. Many of us agree that we pursue God through daily Bible study. Few of us would agree that we pursue God in the way we minister to others. So let us find ways that we can show others the love of God. And then they too can feel the happiness and joy in the presence of the One who taught us about the ultimate definition of love, our Lord Jesus Christ.

How is your love for God? Have you lost the zeal of love for God like the Church of Laodicea described by Jesus in Revelation 3:16 as neither hot nor cold and they were lukewarm. Have you lost your first love, the zeal you had early in your spiritual journey? You pray, but is your praying a mere obligation? You attend Church and may even engage in some form of Christian service. Yet is all of that a matter of routine, like brushing your teeth or cleaning your house? Instead of engaging your mind as you worship and serve God, you follow familiar and predictable routines. Instead of thinking creatively about ways to express your love for God, you become content to say and do what you have always done. If you are lukewarm, then renew your life to when you first came in faith to Christ; when you experienced the joy of knowing your sins were forgiven; when you were adopted into His family; when your heart was full and overflowing with love for the Lord and when you longed to please Him. Let us make the Psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 85:6 “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” be our own. O! Lord, revive us again; fill each heart with thy love, may each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

No one has to earn God’s love. No one has to jump through hoops to earn His acceptance. No one has to crawl on his hands and knees to compensate for past sins. The Bible states:  “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  God’s love is offered to us as a gift not a reward as Ephesians 2: 8-10 tells us: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God.” “Not of work, lest any man should boast.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

How well do you know the God in the Bible? The better we know God the better we will know ourselves. We will also experience great joy and grow spiritually. To see God’s holiness is to see our own sinfulness. To see His goodness is to know the wonder of His grace and the depth of His love for us. To see His majesty is to give Him the honour and praise of what He is worthy. The way to know God better is through His Word. As you read and study the Bible with a desire to obey Him, you will grow. Also, be sure to seek out the fellowship of believers who can help you to study the Bible and grow in Christlikeness.

Only God is truly great- great enough to meet all our needs, great enough to forgive all  our sins, and great enough to carry us through the dark valley of death into eternity, to be with Him forever. Let us be thankful that God is relentless in His love for us- ever pursuing, ever-present, and ever-guiding.

Dn Yaw Chiew Tan

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