Will you not love God if you invest yourself in Him?

Or perhaps to say it differently, if you do not invest yourself in Him, then you do not love God. That is, I find myself frequently frustrated with my thoughts, my speech, my actions, my attitudes, etc., and occasionally I have the acute sense that I have grieved the Holy Spirit by my foolishness. It is in times like that when I truly wonder if I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Honestly, I don't think I have EVER in my life lived up to that high calling. I've been watching a lot of old Keith Green videos on YouTube lately (I know his theology was messed up in the early years, but he still had a lot of good to say) and have been SO convicted of my lukewarmness. With one foot in the kingdom, and the other in the world, I'm convinced the Lord would "spit me out" of his mouth, lest I repent. Please pray the Lord would chasten me and teach me to fear Him in all aspects of my life.

PS
Interesting word verification:

CELESSED

 

Oh, and I forgot to add something crucial:

No Christian should think they are able to fulfill the greatest commandment; it serves to shed light on our sinfulness and drive us to the cross and to the promises of God. Yes, we are all sinful. Yes, God has provided amazing grace for those of us who believe. Yet, that does not give us license to not hate our sin or to neglect contemplating the evils of it. Such can only draw us closer to Christ and love him more.

 

There isn't a lot to add to that.

The point I hope people come away with - and in particular, those people who know they are supposed to love God, but are waiting for a feeling to zap them from on high - is that love happens when we invest ourselves.

We are commanded to love - because we are capable of loving when we set our minds to it.

 

It's easier to care for someone who cares for you. Affection for our Savior is spark that causes obedience, I think. Jesus said, "If you love Me, then you will obey My Word."

And so if we keep His commandments, then we love Him.

I remember going to hear George Verwer, the founder of OM, and he confessed that he sinned by being infatuated with another woman. He spoke of it as a man with godly sorrow, and I think hopefully to encourage others who may be tempted.
First time I ever heard that kind of confession.

http://www.georgeverwer.com/

 

Don, we certainly love because we are loved, for as we draw near to God, we learn how profound His love for us is, such that the more we know God, the more we are convinced of His great love for us, and the more inclined we become to trust Him and to love Him, and desire His glory.

All of which leads us to walk in obedience.

 

Well said Daniel.

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky."

 

Amen, brothers.

And Daniel, I agree with you completely about the tendency that we all may have to expect God to "zap" us with the ability to love more or on a deeper level. My own experience certainly reveals that, in a variety of ways. Sometimes I wish God would "zap" me with a Spirit filled life where I just live as though I am on fire without even having to work at it. I suppose it is because I am envious of those I know who seem to make it look easy, as if they aren't even trying. But that is not the case. They are working at it. Obedience to the gospel is not easy. It demands our all. I thank God for those in my life who demonstrate what it means to give it.

 

I found a pretty good article on the mortification of sin, for anyone that may be interested. It's from the Master's Seminary Journal.

http://www.tms.edu/tmsj/tmsj5a.pdf