A Life of Love for God

 (originally published May 19, 2015)

“…every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8:28 The Message Version).

Each of us is blessed today because God is working every detail of our lives – the good, the bad, and the ugly – into something good.  According to the verse above, it’s because we live a life of love for Him.

How do we know if we love Him?  And are we loving Him enough to activate this amazing promise in our lives?

Think back to the first serious relationship you ever had. You thought about him or her incessantly. Your momma never had to tell you to call them up.  No one had to describe them to you; you knew everything from their hairstyle to their shoe size.  You knew their favorite food, favorite color, and favorite song.

I have a crystal-clear image in my head of my first date with Jorge. He was wearing a gray Member's Only jacket and white leather glove shoes (no socks), and he was drenched in Paco Rabanne cologne; it was deliciously pungent. His bangs were combed to the side and then expertly fashioned into a side-swept overhang that looked like a boomerang. He sported a thin, dark mustache, and his breath smelled slightly of tic tacs and red snapper.  His nails were nicely trimmed, and he looked all muscular and invincible.  He opened the car door for me, something he still does 33 years later, allowing my chaperon brother into the back seat first, and then he helped me in. I was sick with joy.  My stomach was in knots, and I just couldn’t get enough. 

And as our relationship progressed, I loved hearing stories about him like that time he jumped off his grandmother's garage roof and fractured his leg, or when he had a starring role in his high school's production of Grease.  He was Kenickie, Rydell High’s resident thug and member of the T-Birds. They had almost nothing in common, but as a result of his stellar performance, Jorge received his high school’s Most Dramatic award.

I also wanted to please him any way I could, and one time made him green eggs and ham as a tribute to a favorite childhood story. He became grossly ill but swore he wasn't mad about it.  

My ultra-conservative grandfather thought it highly inappropriate that Jorge wore a gold chain with his name on it and that he wore shorts out in public.  But he knew better than to criticize my man to me.  Jorge could do no wrong, and we regularly poured out our silly but sincere teenage hearts to one another. We were inseparable and found it unbearable when my mother forbade me to see him for one entire month because I missed curfew by 10 minutes. It was such an outrageous punishment that we had no choice but to go undercover. Jorge would show up at my house at 1AM after work, and I would hand him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches through the chained front door, which was right next to my parents' bedroom. He came because he loved me, and I risked further punishment for the same reason.

My love for God is actually very similar.  I think about Him all the time, I am still getting to know more about Him through prayer and Bible reading, and it blesses me profoundly.  Nobody better talk bad about Jesus in front of me because I will duke it out, and I want to live my life in a way that pleases Him.  I also pour out my heart to Him because I desire His guidance and blessing.

Loving God is not about perfection, and it’s not about religion.  Loving God is about having a relationship where we are going to mess up a lot and He won’t.  it’s okay, however, because He will fix our messes.

And these moments we share here together demonstrate our willingness to get to know Him better – to increase our faith, hope, and love.  And the more time we spend getting to know Him the more we will grow in our love for Him.  The best part is the moment we invited Christ into our lives, He showed up and hasn't left since.  Best of all is that He has always been working out all the details of our lives - the sin, sickness, mistakes, as well as the prosperity, blessings, and opportunities - for our ultimate good.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, we love You. Thank You that we can have a dynamic two-way relationship with You. We always seem to be asking, but it's only because You offer so much to us. You are incomparably generous, and it is amazing to think that even the worst moments of our lives are turned into blessings. Open our eyes to see Your goodness. In Jesus' name, AMEN~