What a timely post for me!! Maybe for you as well?
When I read these words below on loving God, my heart swelled. My stomach tighten. I have always struggled with the Scripture in the Bible that says, "...that you must love God with all your heart, soul and strength!” I Must Love God? MUST! Me? Huh? How could I produce something I do not even feel myself? Let alone give out? I have felt condemned and shamed because of those words. Like an outcast.
I have never heard "love" explained like Pastor Prince does below. How God's Grace tells us that "He loves us," not that we love Him. Reading the explanation helps a bit in taking the pressure off.
How He would like me to just sit still and let Him love me. Ooooooo that is scary. And like the saying goes, "let nature take its course." In time, the more I let Him love me, eventually the more I will begin to love Him.
The last two paragraphs especially ministers to me.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10
"You have to love God more! You must have more passion for God!” You have probably heard this type of preaching and may have even tried your best to love God, only to fail miserably.
But what is the true definition of love? Let the Bible define it for us: “… this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Yes, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us!
“Pastor Prince, the Bible says that you must love God with all your heart, soul and strength!”
Yes, that is true according to the law (Deuteronomy 6:5), and even Jesus taught that as the great commandment when He walked on earth. (Matthew 22:37) But that was before He died on the cross. At the cross, He became the very fulfillment of this law for us when He loved us with all His heart, soul and strength, by laying down His body and life on the cross for us.
Today, we are no longer under the law but under grace. And grace tells us that God loves us, not that we love God. Yet, we will love Him when we see how much He loves us. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) That’s how much He loves us!
Beloved, God has seen you trying your best to love Him. And because He loves you, He wants you to sit down and be still, and let Him love you instead. He wants to love you with all that He is and all that He has. He loves you unconditionally regardless of who you are or what you have done because His love is not dependent on you but on Himself. He will never stop loving you.
So let God love you today. Don’t worry about loving Him. The more of His love you receive, the more you will fall in love with Him!
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
Needed this so much right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post.. Take gentle care
ReplyDeleteIt is always good for me to be reminded of this truth. This Pastor Prince hit the nail on the head. Janie
ReplyDeletesmiles. he is loving you right now....
ReplyDeleteIsn't grace amazing!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh so grateful and glad and grinning
over the grace He gives us
to let Him do what
we cold never ever do.
I've felt this condenmation most of my life
too, JBR, and it is heavy and sucks the life
right out of us.
Since a wise woman began coaching me to
ask the Lord to
"love me to you"....to enable me
to let Him love me,
I've begun to slowly wake up
to the massive Love that has been hovering
over me all along,
amd never ever once was i able to
recognize or feel it
until I asked
Him to enable me
to Let Him Love on me.
Oh so scary hard, like you say.
That's why we even have to ask for His grace
to let him do the loving.
This is so so good
and helpful....I love where your journey
is taking you.
Cheering you on, JBR...with much, much love
Only love can save us:)
-Jennifer
There was a testimony I watch from a rock star. Brian Head Welch from the band 'Korn'.
ReplyDeleteThis guy goes on to say how sex, drugs and driniking took over his life and he knew he needed to change his lifestye. He goes on to explain how to he came to Christ just as he was with the drugs an all and how Jesus came in an changed him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTy2-_7XtY
The link above is his testimony. It is not long watch it for this is the powerful love of God loving us just as we are and how He will change us.
Praying and praying,
<><
I can so relate to this post. It is so hard to love and be loved even by Jesus. ((((((JBR))))))
ReplyDeleteThink of you. Wanda
Thanks for sharing this, especially today. Bless you. C
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful, JBR. And true! God loves us first and then we grow to love Him :)
ReplyDeletethis is so amazing, JBR. i'm so overwhelmed of His love right now just so you know as i was reading through the love and the grace of God on us on this page i bursted into tears because i know he loves me so much and i do ask Him why sometimes, it's too much and i do thank him everyday for loving me for who i am and whatsoever have done still he doesn't judge me loves me even more and He's given me the grace to love him oh thank you Lord:)
ReplyDeletenot sure why one of the comments on this beautiful post showed up in my inbox...but i take it as a "God thing"....something He wanted me to revisit with Him. I needed desperately to be reminded of His love on this very day. Thanks be to God and thank you JBR for this post. Janie
ReplyDelete