Love God… And He Will Make His Home With You!

For those who love God, all things work together for good.

love god

Here is the entire Scripture passage:

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

So… my question for you is…

Do you love God?
Note the underlined text:

15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever17 even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:15~17)

The Holy Spirit Prompts John Again…
Note the underlined text:

21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love Me does not keep My Words. And the Word that you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. (John 14:21~24)

More From John…
Note the underlined text:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. (1 John 4: 3~6)

Let’s Review What John wrote…

We love (or do NOT love) God conditionally…

  • …if we keep His commandments
  • …[the person who] does not keep His commandments is a liar
  • …whoever keeps His Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:20~21)

As we can see…

The concept of us “loving God” may not be as simple as we might have thought it to be.

Common attitudes about the concept of God’s love:
  • Do you love God? Or do you ‘let’ Him love you?

  • Do you believe that “He couldn’t really love me” since you have done bad things…that you are a sinner?

  • Can you even imagine being close to God? Or do you see Him as judging you all the time? He says that He loves you. Do you believe Him? Or do you see Him as an Angry God with a big stick?

  • Ponder for yourself, “Do you love God?” Do you see Him as friendly? Or do you see Him as the “Big Fly Swatter in the sky”, ready to squash you when you are having fun?

  • “He has to love me — but He doesn’t like me.” Is that one of your inner thoughts?

  • “The God of the Old Testament is crabby, but Jesus is nice.” We think this, but is it true? No, God never changes!

  • Do I talk with Him? Smile at what I see Him doing? Do I whisper thanks to Him when I realize that He has just blessed me, perhaps when He helps me find something that I lost somewhere in my house?

  • Do I ever just sit with Him, perhaps in an isolated spot outdoors when He astounds me with views of Nature? Do I hear Him speaking to me in my spirit? The Holy Spirit is SO willing to be intimate with me! He has been drawing me in my whole life.

  • Did my Sunday School teacher or my parents tell us that “God loves good little children, and God hates bad little children” (just like Santa Claus)? Is that Biblical? No, of course not!

  • It’s really incongruous that I would believe that— when at the same time I realize that He died on the Cross for me…and He would have done that even if I were the only person alive in this world! He WANTS me to come to Heaven with Him, and He has made the way!

  • God says He loves me. Next time I hear that, will I be willing to take a chance that He wan’t lying when He said that? (He never lies!) Am I willing to see myself as lovable to Him? Am I willing to change my mind about the judgments I made against Him? “Lord, I’m sorry!”

  • What a future I have with Him!! Lord, will You remind me several times today that “You are Love”, and that You would just love it if I would accept myself as You see me? “I AM lovable in Your sight. You said that. And You meant it! Please help me to accept myself as Your intimate partner. I accept Your love for me.

As you can see, it’s difficult to point to a particular Scripture as being the whole answer.

I’m hoping this article has prompted you to think about your relationship with God.

BECAUSE…

What we KNOW is…

He Loves YOU!!

- Jan

I’m curious as to how this hits you. Scroll down to the “comment” form and share your thoughts.

 
 

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{ 3 comments… add one }
  • Hope 11/16/2019, 12:05 AM

    All day ive been praying to know whether God truly loves me or not ive been having feelings that there is not love for me in Gods heart and that i am always subject to judgement for my actions and this article gave me what I needed to see.

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    • Jan Smith 11/21/2019, 6:28 PM

      Hope, only God could bring about this connection. Praise Him!!

      Reply Link
  • Joseph 11/15/2019, 3:35 AM

    I thank GOD in JESUS NAME for this great message. GOD is LOVE and loving GOD is good. Thanks.

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