{"id":3474,"date":"2023-07-17T22:40:32","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T22:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allthecounselofgod.com\/?p=3474"},"modified":"2023-07-17T22:40:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T22:40:32","slug":"do-you-really-love-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthecounselofgod.com\/index.php\/2023\/07\/17\/do-you-really-love-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Really Love God?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone seems to be quite familiar with the facts\u00a0 that \u201cGod is love\u201d (I John 4:8) and \u201cGod so loved the world\u201d (John 3:16).\u00a0 We enjoy pondering the thought that God loves us,<\/em> but what about our love for him?\u00a0 How can a love relationship be proper when only one party is expressing love?\u00a0 Can a marriage be right when the wife doesn\u2019t love the husband?\u00a0 No it cannot, and our fellowship with God isn\u2019t right when we only say<\/em> that we love him, yet there is no evidence of it in our Christian walk. \u201cMy little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.\u201d (I John 3:18)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sad fact is that most people, Christians included, do not really love God.\u00a0 This can be easily proven by comparing our Christian testimony to a good healthy marriage.\u00a0 If a married couple truly loves one another, then there will be clear evidence of it.\u00a0 The same is true when a person loves God.\u00a0 \u201cBut if any man love God, the same is known of him.\u201d (I Cor. 8:3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Enjoy God\u2019s Word?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I really love my wife, I am going to have an open ear for her.\u00a0 I am not going to come in from work and ignore her concerns while pursuing my own interests.\u00a0 If I did so, she would quickly come to realize that I didn\u2019t love her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true with God.\u00a0 How can one say they love God when they seldom read his words?\u00a0 Jesus said that if you love him you will keep his words (John 14:23).\u00a0 How can you keep them if you don\u2019t read them?\u00a0 In John 8:47, Jesus said, \u201cHe that is of God heareth God\u2019s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong>Friend, you spend hours each week absorbing the words of men, but how much time do you spend with the words of God?\u00a0 If you really love someone, you really want to hear what they have to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Enjoy God\u2019s Fellowship?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppose you came to me and said, \u201cBrother Melton, I think you\u2019re the greatest!\u00a0 Your publications have been such a blessing to me.\u00a0 I love you so much in the Lord, but I hate your wife!\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>Do you think I\u2019m going to be close friends with you?\u00a0 I think not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, many people claim to love God, but they visit their dentist more often than they attend church services!\u00a0 That\u2019s not much love!\u00a0 The church is the bride of Christ, yet\u00a0 most professing Christians are more comfortable with worldly unsaved people than with God\u2019s people.\u00a0 The only things\u00a0 they love are themselves and the world.\u00a0 Such people can sit patiently through a television program, a ball game, or even a dirty joke, but they can\u2019t bring themselves to sit through a preaching service with God\u2019s people.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is that you fellowship with those whom you love, be it God or the devil.\u00a0 Who receives your<\/em> fellowship? \u201cGod is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.\u201d (I Cor. 1:9) \u201cBe ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?\u201d II Cor. 6:14)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Enjoy Praising God?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a woman really loves her husband, she will praise him and speak well of him.\u00a0 The same is true when a man loves his wife.\u00a0 Proverbs 31:28 says, \u201cHer children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.\u201d <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0He praises her because he loves<\/em> her.\u00a0 It is human nature to praise those whom you love.\u00a0 Even God praises men on occasion because he has a special love for his special servants (Job 1:8; I Cor. 4:5).\u00a0 If you love someone, you will praise them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friend, how often do you praise God?\u00a0 How can you say you love God when you seldom praise his holy name?\u00a0 The word \u201cpraise\u201d is found 248 times in the Bible, but how many times have you praised God this week?\u00a0 Hebrews 13:15 says, \u201cBy him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.\u201d <\/strong>Of all the words which have flowed from your lips this past week, how many of them were offered as a sacrifice of praise to God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you really love the Lord, you will praise him! \u00a0You will praise him in the church, in the home, in the work place, in the school, and in the general public.\u00a0 God wants us to praise him \u201ccontinually,\u201d and if we love him we will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Enjoy Sacrificing for God?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love my wife and children, so I do not mind sacrificing for them.\u00a0 I often have to do without the things in life that I would like to have because my family has needs<\/em> which are more important than my \u201cwants.\u201d\u00a0 I love my family, so I sacrifice for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible says that we are to offer up \u201cspiritual sacrifices\u201d to God (I Pet. 2:5).\u00a0 The needs of the ministry are more important than our personal \u201cwants.\u201d\u00a0 A Christian who really loves God will set aside his own will and seek God\u2019s will.\u00a0 Jesus said, \u201c. . . not my will, but thine, be done.\u201d<\/strong> (Luke 22:42) Selfishness has no place in Christianity.\u00a0 It is an enemy of the cross of Christ.\u00a0 Paul said in Romans 12:1, \u201cI beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.\u201d\u00a0 (Rom. 12:1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it is unreasonable<\/em> for a Christian to not give himself to God for Christian service.\u00a0 If you love God, you will sacrifice<\/em> in order to serve him and please him.\u00a0\u00a0 You will gladly attend church services, and you will involve yourself in the various ministries of the church.\u00a0 You will tithe and give to missions.\u00a0 Rather than jump to negative conclusions, you will give your brethren in the Lord the benefit of a doubt.\u00a0 You will forgive others who trespass against you, and you won\u2019t hold grudges.\u00a0 When others step forward in self exaltation, you will take the \u201clower seat\u201d of humility and wait on the Lord.\u00a0 Friend, if you love God, you will bear your cross and follow your Saviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do You Enjoy Thinking of the Lord\u2019s Return?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you love someone you want to be with them.\u00a0 I become homesick when I have to spend even one night away from my wife and children.\u00a0 If I enjoyed being away from home more than being at home, I wouldn\u2019t love my wife and children.\u00a0 My love for them causes me to think of them when I\u2019m away, and it causes me to look forward to being with them again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My love for the Lord should be the same.\u00a0 Every Christian should desire to be with the Lord.\u00a0 Every Christian should be \u201chomesick\u201d for heaven and looking for Jesus to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friend, do you know the last prayer of the Bible?\u00a0 It isn\u2019t a prayer for world peace, nor is it a prayer for anyone\u2019s health, or even anyone\u2019s salvation.\u00a0 After being shown all of the breathtaking events of the book of Revelation, the apostle John sent up one final prayer to the Lord: \u201cEven so, come, Lord Jesus.\u201d (Rev. 22:20)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you honestly pray like that?\u00a0 Can you honestly say that you want Jesus Christ to return more than anything in this world?\u00a0 If you could have any prayer answered in the next sixty seconds, what would be your petition?\u00a0 Would you express your love for yourself by praying for something selfish, or would you express your love for God by asking Jesus to return?\u00a0 If you love him, you should want to be with him.\u00a0 \u201c. . . Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?\u201d (II Sam. 19:10)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: James L. Melton<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"