Do You Love Me?

         My daughter is taking a Bible course at Liberty University and asked me a simple question that opened floodgates for me. She wanted to know what it meant that God wants us to love Him of our own free will and why even put the forbidden tree in the garden. When I read it, I smiled and thought to myself, “That’s simple.” But as I typed out my answer, it was so much more. Let me explain.

         God does want us to love Him of our own free will. This means He wants us to CHOOSE to love Him rather than forcing us to love Him. To me, love is so much more than a feeling or an emotion. I defined love as choosing to put the needs and well-being of another ahead of your own. If we are forced to do this, it’s not love but obedience.

         I went on to explain that in loving God, obedience is an expression of our love for Him. John 14:21-24 breaks this down for us. Jesus speaks and tells us basically, that if we truly love Him, we will obey Him. It’s important to note that we obey BECAUSE we love. Our obedience flows from our desire to please God.

         As far as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, I see that as an opportunity for Adam and Eve to express their love for God. Would they love Him enough to refrain from eating from the forbidden tree because their desire to please and honor their creator was greater than their desire to satisfy their curiosity and flesh? Apparently not because Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was “good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.” (Genesis 3:6) And her husband Adam apparently wanted to please his wife more than please God because he was with her, and she gave some to him and he ate it.

         As I was typing this all up to send to my daughter, I was admittedly feeling superior to Adam and Eve. (I mean, God had made all that was in the garden available to them, and they couldn’t pass up on one thing?) But then I got a check in my spirit, “Dutchess, do you love Me more than these?” Immediately I felt both sorrow and joy rush in and fill my soul.

         I have been through a very long spiritual drought. God has blessed me and done some amazing things in my life, but I was feeling cold and almost dead inside. What’s more, I was angry that I felt cold and dead but couldn’t seem to shake it off. It became a chore to read my Bible and forget about actually studying it. I was faithful in morning prayer with my online prayer family, but I had lost that expectancy. My faith was being tested and I believed I was failing.

         “Dutchess, do you love Me more than these?” Of course, I should have been able to immediately answer, “Yes, Lord! You know I love You.” But did my life reflect my answer. Was the life I was living matching up with the theology I was proclaiming. Was I choosing God over my own comforts and pleasure? The answer was a resounding no. Not that I was living a life of sin or denying Christ? I just failed to purposely choose Him and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

         But God…

         Just as He saw the beginning from the end when He created man knowing they would fall, He chose me and called me knowing I too would fail. But in both cases, He made provision for redemption. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” O God, I thank You! You have forgiven me and purified me, restored my soul, and set me back on the path of righteousness for Your Name’s sake! (Psalm 23:3)

         To my family and friends and readers of this post, God loves you with a perfect and matchless love. He is waiting with open arms to not only receive you to Himself but to cleanse you and purify you and make your life a testament of His goodness and mercy. Your sin may not be an open and obvious action or habit. Simply living in a manner that doesn’t reflect His lordship is enough to come running to Him begging for forgiveness.

         We all have sinned and fall short of His glory, but He has made a way to cleanse you and restore right fellowship with Him. Receive His love today. 

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