Do you love God enough?

[HeLeadethMe]

I've seen this kind of answer so many times now. Yes the grace of God is essential but....there is a certain amount of willpower on our part to get us started. God helps those who help themselves might sound like cliché. But he aint gonna help us, if we show no effort at all.

As far as I know I believe this is at least partly right. The bible says if we keep on sinning willfully there is no more sacrifice for sin. At the same time to truly overcome sin, we need the help and grace of God because by His Spirit He can take away even the desire to sin and not just correct our outward behaviour. Those who know better are certainly not going to sin their way to heaven, and yet God forgives and saves even the worst of sinners when they repent. Because what does Jesus save us from......our sins. On our part we must fight the good fight of faith, against our sin, with His help when we cry out to Him.......and our effort really, is to labour to enter into His rest.

There is a lovely little story of Cornelius in Acts 10, I encourage you to read, about a Roman centurian who feared God and lived righteously, doing good works, but had not yet received salvation and revelation of the gospel. It seemed to be his good works that attracted God's attention and He sent Peter to him to preach the gospel. Peter was willing to go to him even though a gentile, and Cornelius was willing to receive Peter and the word he preached. It never occurred to me before but in my case it might be because I didn't have the abortion that attracted God's attention, and paid the price of bearing and raising my child alone, and also because of humbling me through those same circumstances that my heart was ready to receive a few years later when I heard the gospel message preached and was miraculously converted. Where it says He gives grace to the humble, might apply in that sense, and that is why we often see folks receiving Christ after being humbled through their life circumstances and not before. Because we have to know our need of Him on some level in order to receive, it is easy to be deceived in thinking we are doing all right on our own.

 

[Gluttonous Winebibber]

We understand that you cannot love God, or obey His commandments

See when you say things like that it makes me think you haven't read Luke 10:27 or even 1 Corinthians 13. There is what is described as the ideal man of god, and there is nothing wrong with aiming for those goals.

 

[W2L]

See when you say things like that it makes me think you haven't read Luke 10:27 or even 1 Corinthians 13. There is what is described as the ideal man of god, and there is nothing wrong with aiming for those goals.

I agree that commands were given and meant to be obeyed. Will we be perfect at it? Not in my opinion but they are meant to be obeyed.

 

[frettr00]

I think I'm doing pretty well with keeping the commandments, though I'm not perfect. If there was something I'm doing wrong I would like God to make me aware of it so I can work on it.

 

[KirbyJ]

That's the question I asked myself at Church today. As the priest read the Bible" If you love me, you will keep my Commandments."
Obviously I don't . Otherwise I'd be trying harder to keep His commandments.
I don't know about other people, but I am going to work on this one. With His help of course.

Good question. I tortured myself with this same question for so many years until I realized that my enormous love for His attributes - love of course, but also, justice, righteousness, truth, longsuffering over us all, and many others comprised a love for Him. Once I got to this realization, I began to feel more actual love for God Himself.
We'll never in this lifetime get the commandments or even Galatians 5:22 down to perfection. He is pleased to see us working studiously and always persevering in the efforts to change ourselves and become more like Him.
II Peter 1:3 - 8 encapsulates the picture nicely:
2Pe 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(NKJV)
Verse 4 is pivotal in that it gives us God's vantage point when it comes to our petitioning Him to do something for us. This verse says that besides being a merciful and loving God who delights in giving us what we want, more to the point, they are a carrot at the end of a stick to draw us into becoming more like Him - "divine nature".
Prayer seems to often leave us sputtering and shooting blanks. There are many reasons prayers will not be answered in the way we want them or on our timetable, but the major impetus from Him is that He wants us always working to be more like Him.
God is Spirit and we are aliens in this world. The more we remember this and concentrate on the spiritual image we are supposed to be mirroring, the more we will find prayer answered as we would like them or even before we think to pray for it.
All of this facilitates our love for Him - because we're on the same page with our wants.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

He is pleased to see us working studiously and always persevering in the efforts to change ourselves and become more like Him.

I think we get points for trying. Even the story of Job in the Bible seems to indicate otherwise.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

I think I'm doing pretty well with keeping the commandments, though I'm not perfect. If there was something I'm doing wrong I would like God to make me aware of it so I can work on it.

I didn't really mean observing all the rules. Like being a legalist. I meant more the spirit of keeping the Commandments which is being kind to neighbour and self.

 

[LisaMC-D]

As I have gotten older, experienced a multitude of losses, and my life has become so full of sorrow and angst, I find I fear Him more than love Him.

 

[JohnKing67]

That's the question I asked myself at Church today. As the priest read the Bible" If you love me, you will keep my Commandments."
Obviously I don't . Otherwise I'd be trying harder to keep His commandments.
I don't know about other people, but I am going to work on this one. With His help of course.

My understanding is to love God enough you have to have the Love of God.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

As I have gotten older, experienced a multitude of losses, and my life has become so full of sorrow and angst, I find I fear Him more than love Him.

That doesn't sound healthy to me Lisa, to be honest.

 

[Arthur B Via]

That's the question I asked myself at Church today. As the priest read the Bible" If you love me, you will keep my Commandments."
Obviously I don't . Otherwise I'd be trying harder to keep His commandments. I, and I'm sure you too, love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls! We prove this daily by our hatred of the sewer of sins and disobedience we try so hard to avoid. By our hatred, and dread, of our sins we confirm our deep love for our glorious God and Savior Christ Jesus. It is those who sin and live in disobedience and don't care who are in trouble. Be blessed my brothers and sisters, and continue to fight the good fight.
I don't know about other people, but I am going to work on this one. With His help of course.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

yeah learn to hate the sin not the sinner

 

[marineimaging]

How about, do you fear God enough? When you can't follow a commandment because your love is weak, is your fear strong enough. We should have both. Other than that I know that particular verse and chapter refer to why Christ was crucified for our sins. Because we could not keep His commandments.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

How about, do you fear God enough? When you can't follow a commandment because your love is weak, is your fear strong enough. We should have both. Other than that I know that particular verse and chapter refer to why Christ was crucified for our sins. Because we could not keep His commandments.

I probably need more fear of God too. I get too familiar with Him, thinking He is my buddy. Taking Him for granted. But fear to me implies distance. And I don't want to feel distant from Him.

 

[Gilberto Alicea]

That's the question I asked myself at Church today. As the priest read the Bible" If you love me, you will keep my Commandments."
Obviously I don't . Otherwise I'd be trying harder to keep His commandments.
I don't know about other people, but I am going to work on this one. With His help of course.

I belive that it's important to not bit ourselves up the bible tells us that we all come short of his glory but is not by our personal erfurt but by the Grace of God that we are safe. We are babes in the faith at first then ones we reacived the baptism of the holy spirit he will give you the perfect love of jesus Christ and then you will be perfect in love and be able to walk in his love. Keep seeking and you will find.

 

[ldibart]

That's the question I asked myself at Church today. As the priest read the Bible" If you love me, you will keep my Commandments."
Obviously I don't . Otherwise I'd be trying harder to keep His commandments.
I don't know about other people, but I am going to work on this one. With His help of course.

I believe that to love him is to love his people . Jesus asked peter do you love me ...peter replied yes lord ,then feed my sheep (to show it I would imagine plus needed of course) . We are to take care of each other . SO to ask do I love God enough I believe is answered in how do we treat his followers.

To love the lord thy God with all heart soul and mind, cannot and never could be done and CHrist still died on the cross knowing how dreadfully short we would and do fall from that commandment and pondering that thought shows that we want to do it ,but the flesh is weak, not an excuse its simply our brains our very bodies are set at odds with the maker now our spirit is stronger with christ but our flesh is still what it is until we receive a new body that is not weak to do. That's my take on it at least.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

SO to ask do I love God enough I believe is answered in how do we treat his followers.

exactly
and I come up short I'm afraid, way short

 

[Monk Brendan]

I realised the other day I can't remember Jesus loves me. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so. Little lamb~~~" I think is what I know.

39 years or so ago, I learned this in both Athabaskan and Inuit. I can still remember singing it, but now I can't remember the words. All I can remember is yea Jesus lockita (yes, Jesus loves me)

 

[jimmyjimmy]

See when you say things like that it makes me think you haven't read Luke 10:27 or even 1 Corinthians 13. There is what is described as the ideal man of god, and there is nothing wrong with aiming for those goals.

If you can obey the law (with is only obeyed if done so perfectly 24/7/365, then you go for it.

Christianity, at its core, is about the gospel. The law was given to direct us to Christ. If the law were obtainable, Christ would have not needed to die.

 

[KirbyJ]

I think we get points for trying. Even the story of Job in the Bible seems to indicate otherwise.

I speak from 44 years of hard experience. Nothing in, nothing out.
I have countless times felt the peace and love of the Holy Spirit's presence. I put in daily time with our Creator and He responds to that. The more sacrificial the effort, the more likely and intensely He WILL respond.
For example, which kid would you manifest your own love to the most - the one who does the most to spend time with you or the one who is indifferent to you?
I know when I love God enough because He responds. If I slack off, then all kinds of doubts and questions ensue. When that happens, I turn badger and go after our God with everything I have. It always bears fruit. Don't care to make the effort, then you will always question all kinds of things in your relationship with God or even down the road doubt your very salvation.
Job's experience was a one time test of a godly titan that God knew could withstand that test. God tests all of us within our own realm of capabilities. Most of us could never hold up under Job's burdens but we can hold up to those that God reads us as being capable of handling.