We hear a great deal about God loving people and a great deal less about people loving God. I don't have the capacity to totally unpack all that loving God means on this blog entry but I am going to tackle a portion of how we've loved God. For those that do love God I believe it comes down to either a passive love or a passionate love.
It means something... to LOVE God. In this approach I need to look at the action word here, which is "loving", an ongoing state of love. In an honest attempt to keep from telling anyone what to do I'll just state that these are my opinions. If I can stimulate your thoughts about loving God, then my goal has been met. I sincerely want you to come to your own conclusions and your own action plan.
Okay - here I go.
Let's look at the word "loving" and its meaning. I looked at Webster's definition and found it very interesting. So interesting that I have just sat right there - marinating in my thoughts. I saw there, in my estimation, two approaches to an ongoing love or a state of "loving" another.
Webster reads:
1. affectionate - warm regard (seems to require little action)
2. painstaking - dilligent care and effort (requires lots of action)
Obviously, I am not an English major but overall, Webster's definition really works for my line of thought today. Have you ever found yourself in a place where you believed someone loved you, only to find that they felt simple affection toward you? I have. In fact at one point in life, I married into an affectionate relationship. Not my finest moment. I mean (hindsight is 20/20), the word affection delineates "being inclined toward...warm regard."
When I was working full time, handling management of the kiddo, house and yard - while he partied... well, his warm regard toward me and a "thank you for your hard work" didn't quite cut it. I desperately needed a heart and set of hands to help with life's challenges: earn income, trim hedges, pull weeds, change the oil, etc.
I'm sure you see my point here, maybe you've lived this out yourself.
So having been in a position where I had depended on an a purely affectionate love I can tell you with certaintly that affection is not enough to see anyone through life. In every life there will be a time when one needs to know that they are in relationship with a painstaking lover because the affectionate lover will not have the strength to help with challenging times. The affectionate lover is touchy-feely, warm and fun but will be unable to deal with the harsh realities that life holds. The painstaking lover seems, to me, to have the capacity for both affection and ability to endure the hard work of love and life. Painstaking is not a pretty word but the strongest aren't often the prettiest.We realize the beauty of the word is just on a deeper level.
Webster reads:
1. affectionate - warm regard
2. painstaking - dilligent care and effort
In my estimation the later is preferable to the former. Why? Well let me tell you...
In my experience you can have the former without the later, but not the later without the former. One can feel a certain amount of affection for another that they would not endure hardship for, however, one would surely not endure hardship for someone that they did not have affection toward.
Now, translate the whole idea of affection versus painstaking love into loving God. That seems to immediately provide a further capacity for relationship with God. If you've studied the Holy Scriptures you know they teach us that it takes more than believing in God - we're taught to love God. An example is John 14:15 - it reads, "If you love me, obey (requires action) my commandments." The action component of this verse leads me to know that it takes a painstaking love to live this out. Also, it's not a mystery - we don't have to guess at what it means to love God. Affection will cause us to lean or incline toward God, but walking out a relationship with God means a great deal more. I see a deeper love, a painstaking love in obedience.
Some people have such a love for God that they leave behind lifestyles that are outside the bounds of God's Word. I've had the personal joy of walking alongside those that leave behind drug use, lying, sexual addictions, shady financial dealings, theivery and much, much, much more because they've begun to LOVE GOD. They have chosen a painstaking love - they took action! Will you take action or only feel affection for God? Perhaps neither, which is a real choice. Even God himself, refrains from making us love him.
loving adjective
It means something... to LOVE God. In this approach I need to look at the action word here, which is "loving", an ongoing state of love. In an honest attempt to keep from telling anyone what to do I'll just state that these are my opinions. If I can stimulate your thoughts about loving God, then my goal has been met. I sincerely want you to come to your own conclusions and your own action plan.
Okay - here I go.
Let's look at the word "loving" and its meaning. I looked at Webster's definition and found it very interesting. So interesting that I have just sat right there - marinating in my thoughts. I saw there, in my estimation, two approaches to an ongoing love or a state of "loving" another.
Webster reads:
1. affectionate - warm regard (seems to require little action)
2. painstaking - dilligent care and effort (requires lots of action)
Obviously, I am not an English major but overall, Webster's definition really works for my line of thought today. Have you ever found yourself in a place where you believed someone loved you, only to find that they felt simple affection toward you? I have. In fact at one point in life, I married into an affectionate relationship. Not my finest moment. I mean (hindsight is 20/20), the word affection delineates "being inclined toward...warm regard."
When I was working full time, handling management of the kiddo, house and yard - while he partied... well, his warm regard toward me and a "thank you for your hard work" didn't quite cut it. I desperately needed a heart and set of hands to help with life's challenges: earn income, trim hedges, pull weeds, change the oil, etc.
I'm sure you see my point here, maybe you've lived this out yourself.
So having been in a position where I had depended on an a purely affectionate love I can tell you with certaintly that affection is not enough to see anyone through life. In every life there will be a time when one needs to know that they are in relationship with a painstaking lover because the affectionate lover will not have the strength to help with challenging times. The affectionate lover is touchy-feely, warm and fun but will be unable to deal with the harsh realities that life holds. The painstaking lover seems, to me, to have the capacity for both affection and ability to endure the hard work of love and life. Painstaking is not a pretty word but the strongest aren't often the prettiest.We realize the beauty of the word is just on a deeper level.
Webster reads:
1. affectionate - warm regard
2. painstaking - dilligent care and effort
In my estimation the later is preferable to the former. Why? Well let me tell you...
In my experience you can have the former without the later, but not the later without the former. One can feel a certain amount of affection for another that they would not endure hardship for, however, one would surely not endure hardship for someone that they did not have affection toward.
Now, translate the whole idea of affection versus painstaking love into loving God. That seems to immediately provide a further capacity for relationship with God. If you've studied the Holy Scriptures you know they teach us that it takes more than believing in God - we're taught to love God. An example is John 14:15 - it reads, "If you love me, obey (requires action) my commandments." The action component of this verse leads me to know that it takes a painstaking love to live this out. Also, it's not a mystery - we don't have to guess at what it means to love God. Affection will cause us to lean or incline toward God, but walking out a relationship with God means a great deal more. I see a deeper love, a painstaking love in obedience.
Some people have such a love for God that they leave behind lifestyles that are outside the bounds of God's Word. I've had the personal joy of walking alongside those that leave behind drug use, lying, sexual addictions, shady financial dealings, theivery and much, much, much more because they've begun to LOVE GOD. They have chosen a painstaking love - they took action! Will you take action or only feel affection for God? Perhaps neither, which is a real choice. Even God himself, refrains from making us love him.
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| LOVE GOD |
loving adjective
: feeling or showing love - affectionate
: very careful and thorough - painstaking
--Webster's Dictionary--
--Webster's Dictionary--
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