How can this be? I can sincerely say I try to live my life according to what God asks of me. Not perfectly, of course, but I do try. Hubby and I try to live out our faith in action each day and not just in words and weekly church attendance. But does this constitute love as God desires it? We can love God with phileo love and be fully redeemed, heaven-bound and serve Him as best we know how, but we still fall short of what He asks of us.
Once again, Beth Moore goes straight to the heart of a matter as only she can. I'm so grateful that she's allowed herself to be used by God to convey the truth of His Word to others. In the video lesson we saw this morning, she differentiates agapeo and phileo love. Agapeo love is what God desires and what we're commanded to give Him in Mark 12:29-31, but phileo love is what I tend to offer Him.
She asked a series of questions to help us identify if we have agapeo love for God - each to be answered as Often, Sometimes or Rarely:
- Does He regularly circulate into my thoughts?
- Am I often drawn to spend time with Him?
- Does my life demonstrate a love for God?
- Do I often enjoy God?
- Do I find relief or satisfaction in the obedient life?
Ouch. As much as I'd love to answer Often to all of these, there were more Rarely's than anything else. Rather than being condemning, it's actually quite freeing to realize you've been going about things all wrong and now you can change! So how can I freely love God the way He (and I) desire?
- First, I have to realize that I can't muster up agapeo love for God. It originates with God because God is love. Whew, that takes some pressure off because I've not been able to conjure it up for over 25 years.
- Second, I need to ask God diligently and daily for the supernatural ability to love Him. I firmly believe God will answer that prayer because it's smack dab in the middle of His will. No need for Him to deliberate on that one.
- Lastly, I have to offer him my whole heart to fill up. Not sure how to do this, but I know He'll show me how.
I intend to start praying this for myself every day starting today. I've seen others who truly love God this way and I want it for myself. I always wondered why I didn't possess that kind of passion and excitement for God and just figured it wasn't my personality type. Well, phooey on that - I want it and I'm asking for it. I want to be a Jesus Freak.
2 comments:
I think we can have long conversations about this! I'm a little bummed we aren't doing discussion anymore. I've had a HUGE brainstorm over this...at least huge for my brain.
The best part is that He knows us and gets us, right where we are. We love because he loved first! I can see his love for me, not understand, not trust, but know that he knows that and loves me anyway. As for offering my whole heart, all I can do is tell him I am incapable of doing that and ask him to change the things in me that will make it so I can. It's this beautiful (and often painful) thing to watch myself be transformed. I resist, I struggle, I turn away, but He stays and won't ever turn away. It's beautiful isn't it?
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