Those Who Love God
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July 26, 2015 |
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 "And He [Jesus] said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment"
(Matthew 22:37-38).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
We have loved God and led our Christian lives. But it could be made possible not with our own strength, but by the delicate love of God. You might think you chose to come to love Him but in fact you could come before Him by His love and guidance. You could hear and understand God's Words, pray, and take up various duties by His grace.
Now let's look at the lives of believers who love God and feel thankfulness deep in their hearts for His grace.
1. They love God first and above all else
Many believers may think and say, "I love God". But some of them do not love Him from the depths of their hearts whereas some others love Him whole-heartily. There are those who love their families, honor, fame, or money more than God, but they still come to church. So they think they love God.
If we value anything more than God it means our love for God is not true and foremost. Let me give you an example. There is a person who has earnest hope and he prays continually and even fasts. He also works hard for God's kingdom. When grace comes down upon him, he confesses his love with tears. But if things do not go as he wants, in many cases his attitude changes.
He might speak words in complaint and he stops praying and working for God's kingdom. This is to love himself more than God. His confession of love for God is not true. For our confession of love for God to be true, we have to love God more than anything else.
Daniel's three friends were about to be thrown into fiery furnace because they did not worship an idol. What did they say at that time? Daniel 3:17-18 says, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
They not just believed the almighty God would save them, but even if He did not, namely, even if they died in the fiery furnace, they would never do anything that could disappoint God. It means God was more precious for them than their own lives. When you think of the grace of God who gave His only begotten Son, can you say with a true heart, "I love God and the Lord more than my life?"
Such a person will not put his own thoughts or plans first, but he will seek God's will first. Rather than what he wants or what he likes, he chooses something that pleases God. Rather than what is beneficial for himself, he will seek what is beneficial for God's kingdom. Wherever he is and whatever he does, he will try to please God, and he will always think of God's heart and will first. Church leaders should have this kind of heart. If you love God first and please God in everything, God will not just remain inactive.
As Proverbs 8:17 says, "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me," He will also love you more than anything else. Would those who are loved by God the Almighty envy others or be in situations impossible to resolve? He will lift you up with His almighty power; He will give you your heart's desires and bless you whether you are coming in or going out.
2. They also love the shepherd who leads them to spirit
If the shepherd feeds the flock with spiritual food and shows the example of truth, naturally the flock will love that shepherd. Unbelievers wouldn't be able to understand, but the love between the shepherd and the flock in the Lord is deeper than any other love of this world. A true shepherd would give his life for the souls of his flock, just like Jesus did.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 says, "Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." They were Paul's words, saying he did not just preach the gospel with words but served the believers without sparing his life. For this reason the believers in Galatia were willing to give even their eyes if they could (Galatians 4:15). Also, the disciples who were helping Paul loved him so much.
Romans 16:4 says, "…who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." Philippians 2:30 says, "…because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me."
As recorded, Paul's disciples loved him so truly that they would not spare even their lives if it was for Paul. For these disciples, the pain of their teacher was their own pain, and the wish of their teacher was their own wish. When Paul was in jail, they visited him and comforted him, and they also visited the churches with the understanding of Paul's heart, taking care of the believers.
What the shepherd wants is only the glory of God. He wants soul's salvation, sanctification, and blessings. If you truly love the shepherd, you will deny yourselves and live for God's glory. Also, you will earnestly ask for power and power with authority to lead other souls to salvation and truth.
3. They have deep love for souls
Some say they love God, but they just care about themselves in their Christian lives. They diligently worship and pray, but they are not really interested in other souls.
But if you really love God and the shepherd, you will have a heart desperate for souls. It's because you will understand how much God and the Lord are grieving because of dying souls. Moreover, for those who have goodness in heart, it is something natural to show goodness to others. They would want to share with other souls the love they received from God and the Lord.
So they would visit weak souls, encourage them, and help and serve those who are in difficulties. Even though nobody tells them to do those things, they would care for God's kingdom with the heart of God and that of the shepherd. Apostle Paul did so.
His great love for souls is expressed well in 2 Corinthians 11:28-29. It says, "Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?" If you love God, you should make such profession of love for souls.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the greatest commandment of all of the many is to love God (Matthew 22:37-39). The almighty God created human beings and controls human history to gain children who love God and who will live with Him in the eternal kingdom of heaven. You understood this heart of God and came to possess Heaven. Now, I hope you will try to love God even more.
I ask you to love God first, to be united with the shepherd with love and show your love to other souls. In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that God will receive glory wherever you are and God's kingdom will be greatly enlarged.
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