I began this message by saying that if there is one thing I want to instill in anyone's heart, it is the message that we are to love the Lord. And this is not a message to be taken lightly. God's Word is clear on this point. It is a reality that some have already experienced and are still experiencing. In fact, if I can speak with authority on any biblical subject, it is this: the need to love the Lord.
In all the twists and turns of life, in all the challenges of human existence, in all the betrayals and setbacks, what has sustained and carried me personally is God's love. It is not only that God loves me, but also that I love Him. When we love someone, we do not leave them. However, this does not mean that we have all the answers or that we understand everything. Sometimes people leave because they no longer love the other person, and that is all. The lack of certain qualities or character traits is not always the cause. For more than 30 years, since my conversion, no one has ever had to seek me out in church, to wonder where I am, because the love of Christ within me has always led me to church and to prayer.
When someone strays from God, for example, it may not be because they have been wronged in some way, but it could simply be due to a lack of love. Love is forgiveness, hope, and generosity. When we love the Lord, we develop an unwavering devotion that lasts throughout our Christian journey, bringing us unparalleled comfort and consistency. Those who have love for the Lord never pose a problem for the pastor, because there is no need to wonder where they have been for so long.
Our problem lies in a lack of love. We tend to focus on what's wrong because of a lack of love. When a child is criticized, the mother will usually find something positive to say because her love for her child is unconditional. It's important to have the same conviction when we confess our love for the Lord.
The question we have explored in this message is how to love God more, because many struggle to love Him the way we are supposed to. God's love has been placed in our hearts, but we must learn to love Him more.
There is nothing that saddens me more about Christians than the fact that they do not love the Lord. When I am in front of people and I observe them and I do not have the impression that they truly love Him, it is a deep sadness. I come to ask myself if I am wasting my time with these individuals? Why do they not love God? After all the prayers, the fasts, the teachings, why are they still so lukewarm? Why have they not received the passion?
This is ingrained in the DNA of our church: loving the Lord. That's why it's called ABBA HOUSE, the Father's house. That's why the ministry is called "The Theophilus Company": because we are devoted to God. That's also why our television program is called "Passion for God":
How then can we love the Lord?
The first thing to truly love God is to receive His love.. We must first receive His love to be able to love Him. We must first recognize and believe in His love, as stated in 1 John 4:16: "We have known and believed in the love that God has for us." So we must understand the love He has for us and believe in it. Only one who is loved can truly love in return. When you are aware that God loves you, you are able to love Him. If you are not aware of His love, you will always live in a deficit, constantly wondering if He loves you. There is nothing wrong with God's love; the problem is with us. I always say that God would have to make an exception not to love you, and He does not make exceptions. He loves even the worst sinners. He does not approve of their actions, but He loves them because God is love.
A. Receiving His love. How?
1.Medit on His Word concerning His love, recognize and confess His love when strange thoughts and doubts arise, and choose to acknowledge His love instead of questioning it. Romans 5:5 states that God's love 'is shed abroad in our hearts.' According to 1 John 4, God is love and we love Him because He first loved us. It is fitting to meditate on this and say, 'I know that He first loved me.' According to God's Word, He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.
I always say, if He loved me when I was a pagan, when I was far from Him, when I was the worst of sinners, then how much more does He love me now. Sometimes I stand in front of the mirror and say, “I know You love me, even when I was worse than that, You already loved me. Even when I was far from You, You loved me. Even when I said horrible things about You and Your Word, You still loved me, and You saved me! No matter what happens, I cannot doubt Your love.”
Don't complain and ask, "Why are these things happening to me?" Say instead, "Father, I know You love me because Your Word tells me so." Don't think you love Him, but He doesn't love you; you, a redeemed fallen being, how can you imagine that the One who paid the price out of love to redeem you doesn't love you? We have no reason to complain about the Lord. No, we grasp His Word, we receive His love, and we constantly ask for this revelation, for it is needed.
We must meditate and absorb these words, internalizing these passages, as we do everything in the kingdom of God, so that it becomes a revelation. This extraordinary love of God must be the center of our meditation. This love must be the subject of our contemplation, allowing this revelation to manifest. Not only do we meditate and confess that He loves us, but it also becomes a part of our being, our essence, and our actions.
Lack of love causes many problems and leads some people to destroy their lives. Others, even into adulthood, resent their parents, even those who are supposed to be Christians. Some cannot go beyond what their mother would have done 30 years earlier, even though they have the love of their heavenly Father. We must receive His love, allow it to penetrate every part of our being, heal wounds, and instill hope.
2. Confess and meditate on the fact that we love Him too. Second principle to constantly receive His love, we must confess it and meditate on the fact that we love Him too. There is a dimension of God's love already present within us, and it must grow and amplify. If you are born again, there is no room to say, "I don't love God." Rather, declare that you love Him, continuously. Even in the face of disinterest in reading the Bible, remember that you love Jesus and, therefore, you love His Word. Don't be swayed by passing thoughts or emotions that suggest otherwise. If someone or something tries to convince you that you don't love God, firmly declare, "I love God" and "I love His Word." We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves; we have something to bring into being. Confess your love for Him, meditate on it, and communicate it to others. Talk about it to your children, your parents, and in all circumstances. Make it a constant presence in your life, just as the Scriptures teach us.
3.We implore divine revelationThe third principle for receiving God's love is to import divine revelation. Paul prays for the Ephesians that they may be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. He prays that they may be firmly rooted and established in love, able to comprehend, with all the saints, the breadth, length, depth, and height of the love of Christ. He prays that they may truly know this love that surpasses knowledge, so that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.
This prayer, as well as all of Paul's other prayers, should be integrated into our prayers. We should pray to know the love of Christ, its height, breadth, length, and depth. To truly know this love that surpasses all knowledge, Paul tells us that we cannot comprehend this love. It is immeasurable unless God reveals it to us. This love, therefore, surpasses all knowledge, but we can pray to know it.
So, to love God, we must first receive His love.
B. Other ways to grow in love
Watch the video to discover other ways to grow in the love of the Lord. Below are some powerful quotes from the video.
Quotes
“It is true that redemption has gone out of fashion in the modern church. We must just talk about blessing, we must just talk about favor. What favor comes to an ungrateful people who despise their Savior, who despise the blood that was shed for them?“
"LPeople run from church to church seeking favor and run from church to church, seeking miracles and… heThey are being fleeced by individuals who claim to be servants of God, but who have nothing but their stomachs for God. They are becoming increasingly desperate because they refuse to sit down and contemplate the One who paid for their salvation and to honor and serve Him. They just want to continue taking things from Him, but never give Him their love.“
“If you don't give your heart to the Lord, there are situations in your life where you're going to be so helpless because you haven't built a relationship with God based on that love. You're going to be so helpless. Someone is going to take advantage of you.“
“QWhen you tell your children about God's blessings, they will love the Lord... When all they hear you do is complain about your problems, your situation … You are creating children who will have no faith in God. So can I say to parents again, do not destroy your children's faith because you do not want to move forward. If you do not want to know God, at least refrain from saying negative things in front of your children. But if you contemplate the goodness of God, and if you talk to them about it, they will love the Lord.“
“No one can say: “Yes, but I am like that, I am not someone who loves”, No, no, we all have access to God’s love, we all have the possibility of loving God, and of loving others.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.