A Love Issue~

 ¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments.


Why do I do what I do? I told you this year I was going to address this issue in my life.  Why do I think how I dress is important? Why do I only listen to Christian music? Why do I spend so much time at the church house? Why do I not drink or do drugs? What drives me? All of these questions need an answer. Let me give you one. I am an old fashioned Baptist girl~ but that has nothing to do with it!

To some it may seem like I am trying to appease God or earn His favor. Like maybe my standards will earn my way to Heaven or to some maybe that I am self-righteous. I am nothing but a sinner saved by grace. No matter how hard I try ~I sin! I have to ask God and others to forgive me on a daily basis. I fall short and fail all the time!  Me?~ self-righteous~ Of course this is so far from the truth. OUR GOD LOVES US BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS ~NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO!

SO if God loves us unconditionally ~why does it matter how we look ~ where we go and what we do?  I review for many popular Christian book publishers. I read over 150 books last year. I love to read and it keeps me on my toes. I take the good and toss out the bad. One thing I have noticed in many Christian books is the main topic is the love of God and the freedom we have in Christ.

The love of God is unmeasured by any other love. What I am noticing is that the emphasis is on God's love but I read so little about the responsibility of man. The main theme I hear as I read through so many books is that God loves us just the way we are (and this is true) that there is no need to conform in any way to a certain standard of living. That is simply not true. Please hear me when I say this~ Christian standards are not about getting love FROM God~ they are about loving God.

Mom~ let's talk. If you have children ~then this will make perfect sense to you. We love our children unconditionally. I have loved my children from the minute I found out they were in my womb. My love is so strong for them I would lay down my life for any of them. Nothing~nothing~nothing in this life could keep me from loving my kids. God gave us the blessings of relationships as an example  to understand our relationship with Him~ our Heavenly Father.

My love for my children has nothing to do with my expectations for my child. Yet ~ I do expect things from my children. I am very particular in how I want things done around my home. I want bath towels hung up after a bath so they don't mildew and stink. I want sticky spills cleaned up so that we don't stick to the floor. I want globs of toothpaste cleaned up out of the sink so that it does not dry and become difficult to get wiped up. I want empty cartons thrown in the trash. I want my family to sit down at the table when I spent time planning, buying and cooking a meal. I want the bathrooms cleaned and rid of germs on a continual basis so we don't get sick. Listen the list goes on. I have many preferences that I want and so do you. Does this list have anything to do with how much I love my children not at all. (I want my husband to show his love to me by his actions and I really want him to show his love to me by being faithful! We have freedom in our marriage~ but that does not mean he is free to go home to some other woman tonight! I have expectations for the love of my life and he has some for me too. )

Do you love your child any less when they don't take out the trash? No way ~that is silly. My love for my children is constant. But the expectations are there nevertheless.  The Lord's love for us never wavers. He loves us no matter what we wear~what we watch on television~ who are friends are ~what we read or where we go to church. BUT~ the Lord has plenty of expectations for His children. We do not try to earn His acceptance by how we live ~ we obey Him to show our love to Him.

How we live is very important to a Holy and just God! Our Lord loves us in a very powerful~ unconditionally~ unending~ passionate way. His love will never diminish. The same God is very ~very opinionated. And He has many preferences. He recorded those preferences for us in His Word. It is my privilege to find out how He wants me to live ~ and live in that way. It does matter to God how we dress, how we speak, what we eat and drink~ who we marry and where we attend church........ He cares bout everything! Please don't let anyone convince you that because God loves you ~ He does not care what you do.

In summary~ I will say again. I am thankful that God loves me when I am good and when I am bad. I blow it each and every day. My righteousness are as filthy rags but He loves me the same.

But the longer I walk this journey with the Lord the more I have to be thankful for~ the times He has held me up when I could not take another step~ the times He has dried my tears~ the times He has given me light for my path~ the times He has answered my prayers~the times He has walked with me to the cemetery~ the times He was there when people have betrayed me~ the times He was my all and all and mostly because He saved my soul ~ I will never have to face anything in this life on my own. Why in the world would I not want to offer him my feeble attempts of my best? He truly does deserve it!

That my friend is why I do what I do ~