Friday, January 14, 2011

Today's Worship: To experience God is to love God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in James 1:12,
 
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
 
God rewards "those who love him". God, who is poised to draw near to anyone who will draw near to him, James 4:8, who opens wide his arms to all who will respond to his call, his invitation to join his family, John 1:12, has promised the "crown of life" to those who respond to him. Those who respond to him find God to be an object of love and affection beyond any other.
 
Of those who claim to know God, there are those who truly love God, and there are many others. I suspect there are many who view God as a moral task master, the one to whom all are to obey... and it seems to just stop there. On the other hand, I suspect there are many who view God as an errand boy, the one to go to for the goodies in life, the job, the promotion, the spouse, the house and car, etc... and it seems to just stop there. I also suspect there are many who view God as one who provides opportunity to engage in religious activities, in whose name the vestments are donned, the candles are lit, the liturgy recited... and it seems to just stop there. There are many who view God as one to pursue as an academic exercise, to study, to develop "theology" around... and it seems to just stop there. Over the ages many have viewed God as one to be used to gain political power, position and influence.
 
James tells us those who truly love God receive this "crown of life", eternal life. Paul tells us those who love God have been predestined to become like Jesus Christ, conformed to his likeness, Romans 8:28-29. In this passage, as James does in his letter, Paul points to the difficulties in life as opportunities God uses for the good of those who love him: "trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword".
 
It is those who love God that receive so much from him. John tells us, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." 1 John 4:16b-17.
 
John goes on to say, "We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19. Those who have received him and have become a member of his family, John 1:12, have experienced this love and it has a way of permeating our entire being. The love of God is an astonishing thing like nothing else we encounter in this life. It is life-changing, life-altering. To know God is to love him.
 
This world holds nothing as attractive, as winsome, as fulfilling, as loving... as our God!
 
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

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