Hosanna Restoration Church

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people that God did not choose them because they were the greatest or the largest, but simply because He loved them and that He was going to keep the promises He made to their ancestors. The same is true concerning all who have received Christ. God did not save us because we are better than anyone else, but because He has always loved us and because He promised that anyone who would call upon the name of Jesus would be saved and enjoy all the rights of a child of God. We become a part of the family simply because He loves us.

As it says in John, “real love is not that we love God but that He loves us.” This sounds so simple and yet it is very difficult for many people to grasp. Actually it is hard for everyone to grasp until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes. Oh we may say that we know that God is love and that He so loved the world that He gave His only son, but when it comes right down to it most people have really never felt God’s love. That is in part because they have never been encouraged to feel His presence or expect Him to show His love. He commanded that we love Him, but we really don’t know how we are supposed to do that. So we search for a way to show our love for Him when we really don’t feel much of anything. God does not desire some empty actions He desires to be loved.

We fall in love with people don’t we? Where do those feelings come from? They are emotions that God gave us. They are emotions that He wants expressed toward Him. Truly love is a gift from God and so it is only fitting that our greatest love be for Him. But some would say it is so hard to love someone who is not present. Oh but He is always just as close as we will come to Him. So step one in our loving Him is believing how much He loves us. That in turn leads to trusting, and oh how we need to trust Him.

It is funny how people say that love is blind, and yet when it comes to loving God we refuse to blindly follow Him. We want everything clearly defined, when in fact we should just be happy to be with Him no matter where He leads. Isn’t that how love is?

I know it sounds so simple and yet seems so hard. Or maybe it sounds hard but is really so simple. But the truth is, it is what we really want to do. It is what we hope that one day we can do. But then it also seems pretty risky to just go with God without any reservations at all. May I just say that the only way we will get to that place with Him is to go full steam ahead. And as the scriptures say, “as we live in God our love grows more perfect.” Both the way we receive love and the way we give love is perfected. The way we expect God to love us is perfected and with His love we have no fear of loving or being loved. Now that is nice.