DAY23: LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD

Just had a great day today! Afterall, my day was used wisely thanks to the grace of God! J I'm done reading Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech (wohoo! I have a new record; 5 DAYS beating DO HARD THINGS for 6 days J). Not just that, I was able to make “TAKAS” to the hospital (naka confine si lilbro..sad) to spend some time with the guys at our Lifegroup! J We learned a lot today about LOVE (2^nd part of our ONELIFETOLIVE CAMPAIGN)! I wasn’t that aware that the topic of the devotional is related to what we had at Lifegroup J (Due to the whole reading thing kasi, I wasn’t able to dwell on the devotional earlier; HAHAH Dami kong palusot J). At least, God made me dwell on the same verses! Yaaaay! J

Mark 12:30

New International Version (NIV)

³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Whenever I hear the word LOVE, I just couldn’t help but relate it to God! Truly, it’s a FACT that GOD IS LOVE! J and in this Christian walk of mine, as I look back on the things that I’ve accomplished because of His grace, I couldn’t help but cry and cry for I am not worthy to be loved by God yet before I was born, he have already expressed His love for me! As I look at the cross where Jesus was crucified, I could see myself na dapat nandun cross and not him! But the more that I thought that way, more tears are bursting on my eyes for because of GOD’S LOVE FOR US, even His one and only son was sacrificed for our sake!

During our Lifegroup lately, we discussed three things that we can use as an expression of our LOVE:

1. LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY

2. SERVE SACRIFICIALLY

3. FORGIVE COMPLETELY

Kanina, while I was talking to the guys (Meg, Joed, Emerson and Adrian), I just thought that these things that God wants us to do as an expression of our love to others ARE ALL GOD’S ATTRIBUTES. Then somehow, for us as humans, it’s really hard to do those things! Right? But as I went on to the next verse (Mark 12:30 and Ephesians 5:1);

Ephesians 5:1

New International Version (NIV)

¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

I just realized, doing these things; those 3 expressions, following God’s example and Loving God with all our heart, mind and soul is just a MERE RESPONSE TO THE LOVE HE HAS GIVEN US (para sa akin). IN SHORT, IF YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT GOD LOVES YOU SO MUCH, LOVING HIM BACK IS A NORMAL RESPONSE (and part of that is doing those mentioned above) [haha, parang mas mahaba pa; ang awkward nung "IN SHORT :))"]. Remember, He first loved us! And that LOVE is INDESCRIBABLE!

Kaya lang, the sad part most of us even yung mga Christians na doesn't understand these stuffs. :( I just remembered a part on the song I JUST WANT YOU by PLANETSHAKERS; there was a lyric on the bridge saying:

There is no greater love than Yours, nothing else could ever compare

God’s love is ONE OF A KIND and is INCOMPARABLE with any other LOVE in the world. IF WE WILL DO THOSE THINGS MENTIONED ABOVE JUST BECAUSE GOD COMMANDED US TO DO SO, we’re missing out the whole point here! We will just be burdened until came a time that we will feel exhausted! (GOT WHAT I MEAN?)

But on the other hand, If we will just take time to seat back, relax and dwell on God’s love for us, that WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE A GOD THAT LOVES US SO MUCH! We just have to respond to that LOVE by giving the LOVE that He deserves! Then that would be the time that we will start to obey god wholeheartedly! J

I really don’t know if what I wrote was true at all (please try to correct me if there are information that are incorrect) but all of this things that I wrote came out from my heart! J