“Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with
all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is
no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
It’s easy to love God when things are going well. But how about when things are not going well?
Do we withdraw from God when things don’t go our way or do
we choose to love Him anyway as commanded by scripture?
The sign of true spiritual maturity is when we love God
even when are lives are turned upside down.
On the flip side, spiritual immaturity is demonstrated when
our love for God is dependent upon our circumstances.
Doesn’t God choose to love us unconditionally, regardless
of our many sins and shortcomings?
Doesn’t He continue to love us even when our behavior deserves nothing
but His wrath?
While beaten, bruised, and nailed to a cross, Jesus chose
to love. He could have thumbed His nose
at God or spewed hatred at those who put Him on the cross, but instead, an
incredible declaration of love came from His lips – “Lord, forgive them for
they know not what they do.”
Hours earlier in the garden of Gethsemane and knowing what
lay ahead, Jesus demonstrated love for His Father by saying “not my will, but
your will be done,” even though He knew it was His Father who orchestrated the
path He was about to walk.
Jesus’ love for His Father and us never waned, even in the
midst of incredible pain and suffering.
The best way we can demonstrate our love towards God is to
love Him even in the midst of difficult or unwanted circumstances.
Such a reaction blesses the heart of God and reassures us
that we are on the path to spiritual maturity.
No comments:
Post a Comment