Yet another business disappointment.  A scheduling conflict caused the postponement of a client’s appointment for two months.

“I guess I’m being punished for not loving God enough.  I love doing ___________ so much that I must not be loving God enough,”  I blurted out to dear, patient Husband.  (What would I do without a soul mate to dump on?!)  My overly moist eyeballs betrayed my guilt and frustration.

Have you ever been intimidated by the command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength”?  (Deuteronomy 6:5)  Do you feel guilty when you hear it?  Do you wonder how to love God fully and still do your day-to-day work?  Is it wrong to love doing my job or hobby?  How can I love God with everything I have and still have anything left for anything else?  I feel sub-spiritual because I love other things, too.  I’ll never live up to this lofty standard.  I don’t feel like I can ever love God enough.

But Husband pointed out that maybe I have too narrow a view of what loving God means.  Maybe my whole life is loving God.  Maybe everything I do can reflect the fact that I love God.  It got me to thinking that maybe doing laundry, doing the best I can in my business, taking an interest in others, cooking healthy meals for Husband, all confirm that I love God.  Maybe the attitude I have toward my husband, my family, my clients all demonstrate the love I have for God.  Maybe what I value, how I spend my money, how I talk to and about others shows I love God.  Maybe talking to God when I’m sad and when I’m happy shows my love.  Maybe even my acceptance of disappointments with trust that God is doing something bigger is a way of expressing my love for God.  Maybe living my life obeying God in the big and little things is what loving God is all about.

“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”  Romans 12:1-2

I love him by thinking about him.

“. . . set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For . . . your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Colossians 3:1-3 

I love him by saying, “No.” to wrong things.

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.  But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.  Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”  Colossians 3:5-9

I love him by loving those around me.

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. . . Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.  Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.  Colossians 3:10-15

I love him by being grateful.

“And always be thankful.

 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”  Colossians 3:15b-17

I love him by trusting that he that will carry me thru.  I’m fickle, distracted, discouraged, and lazy.  But he is faithful, engaged, strong, and motivated.  He carries me.  My spiritual well-being isn’t dependent solely on me.  I have to cooperate by saying, “Yes!” to him moment by moment.  But in the end, it’s he who sovereignly chose me and will bring me home forgiven and cherished.  

 “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”  Philippians 1:6 

“I need to be reminded that my relationship with God isn’t fueled or sustained by my devotion to him, but his to me. And that devotion was demonstrated most clearly and completely when he gave his only Son as he hung on the cross, enduring the punishment I deserved for my sins.  I love the Lord. But if I’m viewing things clearly, the more wondrous, more foundational reality is that he loves me — in my sin, my failings, my apathy, my distractedness, my inadequacy, my pride, my self-centeredness, my hypocrisy, and my self-pity. . . let’s spend even more time dwelling on the infinitely greater love that fuels and enables ours.”  Bob Kauflin, pastor Louisville, KY quoted in Desiring God website

“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”  Philippians 2:13

So I don’t have to keep taking my own temperature, wondering if I’m loving God enough.  I can lean into him, knowing that he kindly enables me to love him and please him.  I just keep saying, “Yes,” to him.

“We love him because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”  John 10:27