How Do You See God?

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30 HCSB).

 

This passage of scripture has been resonating in my heart for several weeks. These words of Jesus capture a desire that I possess in my heart regarding my relationship with God. How can I truly love Him as I should if I don't recognize Him in the correct manner? Am I still captured by the awe and wonder that is connected to God and His revelation of love that was shared with each of us through Jesus Christ, the Son of God? During my years of Ministerial service I have heard people share these words with me as they were referencing their relationship with their companion:  "I just don't love him/her anymore. I am not attracted to him/her anymore. I have fallen out of love with him/her. He/she does not meet my needs anymore." I could continue sharing these comments but I am sure that you can get the picture of what I am trying to say. The readers of this blog have probably heard those words and in some cases may have even spoken those words either in your heart or publicly in a conversation with someone. Those comments refer to a deteriorating relationship with someone that you once shared a common bond with which was based on love, care, concern, respect, appreciation, etc. Is it possible to say that these individuals had lost their awe and wonder for their companion which created an atmosphere in which they were drifting apart rather than drawing closer? I am not a therapist but I do believe that these factors have contributed to the break down of the marriages of many people who at one time possessed a strong commitment of love for each other. Many experts who write and discuss the building of strong marriages encourage the couple to "court" one another after they are married just as they did when they were single.

 

I believe that some of these principles can be seen in our relationship with Christ. Our relationship with Christ ran at a pace of fervor, awe, thankfulness, gratitude, and recognition that we were saved through the awesome and mighty love of God! We lived in a deeper state than simply the state of attraction; we had fallen in love with our Savior who had paid the ransom price for our salvation. We stood amazed at His Grace and the appropriation of His Grace toward us. Yes, many of us were and continue to be emotional when we remember the deliverance that Christ brought into our lives. But our relationship was much more than simple emotion; we had fallen in love with the One who first loved us. The release of His wonderful love in our lives afforded us the opportunity to not only love Him but also to correctly love those people that God had placed in our lives. I do not want to lose that love for my Savior and I encourage you to pursue the same goal in your life. The enemy seeks to dilute our love for Christ in such a manner that we grow cold in our relationship with our Savior. But I believe that the Spirit will provide the strength that we need to continue walking in the blessing of loving God in the correct manner. Let us seek to love Him with everything that is in us!