“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:6b-7).
Yesterday we began our look at things that we can do to develop a deeper love of God. Today we will conclude our brief look at some of those things.
Love is ever-present and ever-aware. Brother Lawrence developed what he called “The Practice of the Presence of God”. It was his desire to always be conscious of God’s presence and live as though He were standing next to him. I’ve been married for 26 years now. I remember the days when I could think of nothing else but my wife. And though I might sneak a trip to Dairy Queen on occasion (she doesn’t read my blog, please don’t reveal my secret!), I try to live in such a way that I would never disappoint her. Sometimes I fail, but it is love that drives me. That’s the secret that Brother Lawrence discovered.
There is nowhere that we can go that God’s presence will not find us; and it is not because He is trying to catch us doing something we aren’t supposed to do! He desires to be involved in every part of our lives. Take a moment to read Psalm 139. In it David acknowledges this very truth.
Relationships involve work. There’s no getting around it. If you want to grow in your love for God, then you are going to have to put in the work. Anyone who has been married for a significant amount of time will tell you that there are times when the relationship isn’t easy. There are times when one or the other insists on having his or her way. This can easily put a strain on the relationship. Fortunately, however, when you have a disagreement with God or insist on your own way, you can take the guesswork right out of it. It is always you who is wrong!
The quicker you come to that understanding, the easier it gets to sort things out.
But disagreements are not the only part of a relationship that need work. Communication is of the utmost importance. And, of course, communication is a two-way street. “You never listen to me!” is a common phrase in relationships. I’m often guilty of only praying when I need something. You can imagine the depth of that kind of relationship!
Yet God desires to communicate with us. He wants us to share our joys, struggles, victories, and defeats. He wants to be a part of every aspect of our lives. This, however, can be difficult when there are things we don’t want to share with Him. Once again, we know who is at fault. When we determine to build our relationship with Him, we are committing to laying all of our cards on the table. We are telling God that we want Him to help us learn to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).
As part of our communication with Him, we also need to be willing to listen to what He has to say. We have to take the time to learn to recognize His voice. This is done by studying and knowing His Word. God will speak to us through His Word and often by a still, small voice inside of us. He will never speak to us anything that does not line up with the written Word. We learn His character and His voice in the Word!
There you have it… the Reader’s Digest condensed version of how to grow your love for God.
Monday I will be issuing a 30-day-prayer challenge. Along the way I will give prompts for a one-week focus. I will blog my thoughts and experiences along the way, probably as an add-on to my regular posts.
Invite your friends and small groups to join in! I’ll have more about this on Monday at 9:00 am.
Blessings on your weekend!
Skipping Stones 
Leave a Reply