Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Tim. 6:17-18)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

When You're In Love

Photo by Wolfsoul
You've Got It Bad

When you first fall in love, you do crazy stuff. You stare at your love interest from across the room. You talk on the phone or text with them for hours at a time. You talk about serious subjects, and then turn around and talk about silly stuff. You poke fun at each other. You give each other cute little nicknames. You buy extravagant gifts for them, even when you probably can't even afford it. You want to spend every available moment with this person even when you should probably be busy doing something else.

You freely give of your time and money to someone you care about because you love them. You will go without; you will sacrifice whatever it takes because of a passionate connection. It's truly unbelievable what we're capable of when we're in this estatic state of love.

God Is Crazy In Love With You

This is even true of God's relationship with us puny human beings! He created the human race back in the Garden of Eden in order to have an intimate relationship with us. But then we messed the whole thing up. Through our great-great ancestors, Adam and Eve, we all inherited our sin nature. We erected a wall of sin that hindered a connection with our Creator.

God's Word is His love story for us. Over thousands of years, He has demonstrated this crazy kind of love for us. He has yearned to spend time with us. He has sacrificed for us. He gave His only Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity, as The Way to buy us back to Himself. God through Jesus loved us so much that He gave His very life for us.

Loving Is Giving

Loving through giving cuts against the grain of our sin nature, though. In our sinful, fleshly state, we make love about taking because we are selfish. Sure, when we first fall in love, it's easier to give because we're on an emotional high. We're crazy in love and not thinking clearly. But over time, we slip into old patterns. The "high" is gone and we get selfish once again.

When you boil down true, mature, Godly love to its core essence, it's all about giving. "For God so loved the world that He GAVE..." (John 3:16). When we truly love someone or something, we will give everything we have for them. We sacrifice our time, our energy, and our resources for those we love. Some in this world have even had to lay down their very lives for those that they loved.

Do You Love God?

So, the question that begs to be asked is "how crazy in love with God are you?" Are you seeking to spend time with Him on a regular basis? When you wake up in the morning, are your first thoughts about communing with your Father? Sure, we all have schedules and are busy in our own little worlds. But, the truth is that we will make time for those who truly have our affection. Do you get in the Word on a regular basis? Are you in prayer at regular times throughout the day? Our love for God is evident through how much time we spend with Him.

Finally, are you giving back to God in a crazy, nonsensical way? Are you giving back all your talents and abilities in service to Him? And, are you giving your financial resources back to Him in order to build up His Kingdom?

Love God through giving back everything to Him. He gave His only Son on a cross at Calvary for you.

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