Love God?
do you feel obligated or choose to love him?
'You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”' Deuteronomy 30:20
from oxford language:
noun - 1. an intense feeling of deep affection; 2. a great interest and pleasure in something
verb - 1. feel deep affection for (someone); 2. like or enjoy very much
from pastor rick warren:
it is a real commitment that one must make to love another - words + action are required.
there are likely many other definitions or explanations of love from different viewpoints. i picked what i feel i relate most to - that love is a choice. while the initial feelings you have towards another person, be it spouse, family, friends, etc. may lead you to love that person, it’s not always the case for each individual you meet.
if love were only truly based on feelings, since it does come and go, i’m not 100% sure that the same ‘love’ you have for 1 person would apply to another across the board. so if you just happen to not be “feeling it” when you see someone, does that mean your love for them is no longer valid?
think about relationships you have, if you do not show the other person you care, do you think they’d want to stay with you? with God, you must choose to love Him because He will not force you to. for all the bad stuff i did over and over again, He never stopped loving me even though i did not reciprocate. that is just who He is - LOVE. that is why i choose to, have learned to, and still building that unconditional love for Him back.
i believe it takes a serious, concerted effort to love God. while i try to work on all these areas, i do fail to some days and in for all 5 for sure.
first is to make a commitment to; second is to learn more of who He is through His Son, Jesus; third is getting to know the Word of God; fourth is to spend time being in the Presence of Jesus; fifth to sing praises and worship Him.
just for clarity purposes on why there is effort involved, it is not hard to love God for who He is, we should because He deserves our adoration and to desire Him.
dear Heavenly Father, please help me to always love you back. through your Son, Jesus, continue to work on my heart and mind to always choose to place you first in everything. may you be glorified and all the honor come to you Lord. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!