Do You Love God?

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Category: Love

Published on Tuesday, 26 May 2009 08:50

Written by Ryan Hicks

DO YOU LOVE GOD?

By Ryan Hicks

I have heard many people talk about how much they love God, but I have to wonder if they really know what love is? For many to love something or someone is merely another word for liking them or approving of them. It does not mean the affection and attachment to God that it should to them.

It might be easier to understand true love if we look at an actual occurrence of someone not loving another person as occurs in some human relationships. If a man were to beat his wife regularly and commit adultery against her daily, would you believe him when he said that he loved his wife? You would not believe him for a second. If he asked you why you did not accept his profession of love for her, you would say that his actions deny his profession. It is no different when it comes to people whose actions are rebellious against God and show forth their hatred of Him even while they profess love for Him with their mouths.

If you profess faith in Christ and love for God but you serve Satan and thus sin by daily committing sin, your profession is voided by your actions. You are not any more a lover of God than that man that beats and cheats on his wife is a lover of his wife. The Lord Jesus warns, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John 8:34) and "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" (Matthew 6:24). The Scripture further warns, "He that committeth sin is of the devil" (1 John 3:8) and "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin" (1 John 3:9). Do you profess to be a child of God and to love God, but you live a life of disobedience and sin? You need to immediately get right with God by repenting in godly sorrow and faith in Jesus Christ and then you will have actual love for God as the Scripture teaches. Your love for God is evidenced by obeying His New Testament commands by the grace of God given to all born again, children of God. Let us look at some Scriptures that refer to our love of God and those that do not love Him.

Mark 12:30
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

John 14:15
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:21
21 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 to him.

John 14:23-24
23 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.
24 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.

John 15:10
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

1 Corinthians 16:22
22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

1 John 2:3-5
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1 John 2:15
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 4:19-21
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

1 John 5:3
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Jude 1:21
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Revelation 2:4-5
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;

I trust that you love God and keep His commandments? If not, then why have you not fled the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:10) through confessing and forsaking your sins in full faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Proverbs 28:13; Romans 10:9-10)?

In closing I want you to glory in the many glorious promises there are to those that love God. For example:

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 2:9
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 2:5
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

1 Corinthians 8:3
3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.