In our culture love is all about *emotion*.It is how we feel in our hearts.Not what we DO.In scripture it is the opposite.
Now this is a topic that could go on forever and I will try not to do that :), but I wanted to write about it a little because a good friend and I were talking about it and I thought it was a great topic.
The most emotional people that I have ever seen concerning their "love" for the Lord are not even christian.They are the ones who live exactly like the world but they love to talk about how much they love the Lord. They will even cry.
I know that this isn't *always* so.It is just what I have seen.It is almost like they are trying to convince me that they love the Lord because they know their lives don't say so.
I have noticed the same thing from parents who don't take care of their children.You aren't into a conversation for 2 minutes and they are saying things like "I just love my kids so much.I would die for my kids." ????
The most loving parents I know rarely say such things.Of course they feel those things but for some reason they don't feel the need to go around telling everyone.
The most sincere christians I know aren't out telling everyone how much they "love God".They are to busy living for him and serving him that they don't need to go around telling everyone how much they love Him.Not that they wouldn't *ever* say that they love God of course but I think you get what I am trying to say? We see alot of "emotional" love going on but less and less REAL love.It is easy to feel an emotion about someone but it takes effort to REALLY love someone.
Luke 10 :27 And he answering said,Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,and with all thy soul,and with all thy strength,and with all thy mind;and thy neighbor as thyself.
1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ,let him be Anathema Maranatha.
2 John 6 And this is love,that we walk after his commandments.this is the commandment,That,as ye have heard from the beginning,ye should walk in it.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God,that we keep his commandments:and his commandments are not grevious.
1 John 3:18,19 My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue;but in deed and in truth.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth,and shall assure our hearts before him.
John 15:10 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.
John 14:21 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 manistfy myself to him.
The Lord says here that we are to love him with ALL of our hearts.What does this mean? Does this mean that we should feel a strong emotion towards him? No,He says "He that hath my commandments,and keepeth the,he it is that loveth me." "For this is the love of God.....That we keep his commandments...." What if someone claims to love God but doesn't keep his commandments?
1 John 2:4 He that saith I know him,and keepeth not his commandments,is a liar,and the truth is not in him.
It is pretty clear that scripturally,to love God is to LIVE for him.It matters little how we FEEL if we aren't living those feelings.How can we tell another christian? There are millions of people who claim to being christian......
Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
James 2 talks about true faith......
vs 18-Yea,a man may say,Thou hast faith and I have works:shew me thy faith without thy works,and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19-Thou believest that there is one God;thou doest well:the devils also believe,and tremble.
26-For as the body without the spirit is dead,so faith without works is dead also.
So I think it is pretty clear that to love God means that we LIVE for him.True love is an ACTION.Now I am am NOT saying that our works GET us to heaven! What we DO has nothing to DO with where we are in eternity.It is only by the wonderful grace and mercy of God that a christian is saved.We live for him because we love him.We love and believe his WORD and WANT to live by it *because* we love him and we are so thankful for gift he has given us.I also don't mean to imply that we will KNOW and KEEP all of his commandments.As we grow we learn and as we learn we grow.When we die we will *still* not know everything but a christian strives with all of their heart to live what they KNOW.
A few more examples.....Titus 2 tells the older women to teach the younger how to love their husbands,love their children and much more but think about it..........Love their husbands? Love their children? Can that possibly be an emotional love? When we hold that baby for the first time do we feel that overpowering love for it because someone taught us how to feel it? That strong emotional love that we feel for our men.....Did our mothers tell us before we married how to FEEL love?No.......but the older women CAN teach the younger women how to love their husbands and children in ACTION.
Scripture says that we HATE our children if we don't train them.
It really bothers me to hear SO OFTEN..... "It doesn't matter what we do.....the Lord looks on the heart." It is a lie.What we DO reveals the state of our heart.What we do does not save us but it DOES matter because it SHOWS what is IN our hearts!
Anyhow,I have not updated my blog forever due to morning sickness and being so TIRED! lol I am getting more sleep now though and feeling more energetic! I am SO thankful for this precious new baby! I hope everyone is doing wonderful!
I did not mean to make the bottom of this post white lol.I don't have time to fix it now though so it stays! :)
So I think it is pretty clear that to love God means that we LIVE for him.True love is an ACTION.Now I am am NOT saying that our works GET us to heaven! What we DO has nothing to DO with where we are in eternity.It is only by the wonderful grace and mercy of God that a christian is saved.We live for him because we love him.We love and believe his WORD and WANT to live by it *because* we love him and we are so thankful for gift he has given us.I also don't mean to imply that we will KNOW and KEEP all of his commandments.As we grow we learn and as we learn we grow.When we die we will *still* not know everything but a christian strives with all of their heart to live what they KNOW.
A few more examples.....Titus 2 tells the older women to teach the younger how to love their husbands,love their children and much more but think about it..........Love their husbands? Love their children? Can that possibly be an emotional love? When we hold that baby for the first time do we feel that overpowering love for it because someone taught us how to feel it? That strong emotional love that we feel for our men.....Did our mothers tell us before we married how to FEEL love?No.......but the older women CAN teach the younger women how to love their husbands and children in ACTION.
Scripture says that we HATE our children if we don't train them.
It really bothers me to hear SO OFTEN..... "It doesn't matter what we do.....the Lord looks on the heart." It is a lie.What we DO reveals the state of our heart.What we do does not save us but it DOES matter because it SHOWS what is IN our hearts!
Anyhow,I have not updated my blog forever due to morning sickness and being so TIRED! lol I am getting more sleep now though and feeling more energetic! I am SO thankful for this precious new baby! I hope everyone is doing wonderful!
I did not mean to make the bottom of this post white lol.I don't have time to fix it now though so it stays! :)
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