How do I love God?

 An Emoji Devotions for Sat 9th January

Topic: How do I love God?

By H.U.Wenger

Introduction:

Most of the time we do know, how to love our spouses, our kids and even the people around us, especially those, we like. We know, how we can give them joy and appreciation. But how can I love God as I am supposed to?

Highlights:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 36 – 40)


We cannot see the Father and his Son with our physical eyes. We cannot have a dialog with them the same way we can communicate with the people around us and many do therefore not believe that we can love God wholeheartedly, with all our emotions and with our thinking. This attitude is, however, just a mistake of how many of us look at God and at the world. Because so many injustices and crimes happen among men, we think that God is rather distant and largely indifferent to all that happens among people. This is fundamentally wrong. Whenever we consider how God loves us as human beings, we will be flabbergasted with what he has done and is doing for us. We will be overwhelmed by his love and by how his mind is set to save everybody, who calls upon him. He became one of us to learn firsthand about all our afflictions and troubles. He remained victorious in all of it and paid all our iniquities and sins with his flesh and blood on the cross of Calvary. When he died there, he did it for you and for me. Whoever calls upon his name and is willing to learn from him shall be saved for eternity. In him our death is undone and life eternal is offered and freely given. In considering these facts, our love to him will grow and be deepened every time we bring our mind to recall the facts. Jesus told us: “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14, 23) It is his love that is fundamental not our love! “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. We love because he first loved us.” (1. John 4, 9.19)

Another chance to love God, is to love the people he gave around us regardless how much we like or dislike them. This is often not as easy as it sounds, but whenever it is done, it is victorious.

A Christian Chinese Rice farmer had his rice field on the top of a mountain. Right beneath him a ruthless neighbor had his field. Every day, our farmer pumped his field on the top of the hill, full with water. When he was done, his neighbor went and made a hole into the separating wall and so all the water flowed down to his field. One day our Christian farmer could not take it anymore and he went to the pastor for counsel. The pastor had much understanding for the farmers frustration, but he told him that tomorrow, he should pump first the neighbors field full and then his own. The farmer did not like the counsel much, but lead by the spirit he promised to do it. After two more days had passed, the ruthless neighbor visited the pastor, telling him that he could not take it anymore and that he wants the same strength and power like his Christian neighbor.

Prayer: Dear God, help me to understand your love to me more deeply, so that I can love you wholeheartedly with all my soul and mind and my neighbor as myself. Help me to win the people around me for you with the depth of your love. Amen