Monday, November 24, 2008

On Loving God

As I was praying this morning, I thought that it would be good to be more specific than just saying, "I love you" to God. So I began to list the things I love about Him.

I love that He created everything, the time He took and the wisdom and complexity He used. I love His hatred of sin and that He is angry at the wicked every day. I love His justice and mercy when He overthrew the earth with water, yet saved Noah and family alive. I love His promises and His Law. I love His righteousness. I love that He abhors all that is evil and loves all that is good and that all that is good comes from Him. I love His beauty and I love that He loves to get glory for Himself.
I love His way of salvation and that He planned it before the world began. I love that He humbled Himself to become a man and I love that He did no sin, though He was tempted like us. I love the way He healed people and I love the parables He told. I love how He taught His disciples and I love how He prayed in the garden, "not my will, but Thine be done." I love His obedience to the Father in His death on the cross, bearing my sins. I love the Father's justice in crushing His own Son when He became sin in my place. I love that Jesus arose from the dead and showed Himself to five hundred. I love that He said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." I love that He ascended into heaven and that He sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.
I love His Holy Spirit which He sent to teach us. I love His Word. I love His people, His church. I love the way He saves His people and that it is His work and that He uses us. I love that He convicts the heart of sin and grants repentance unto life. I love the way He changes lives and turns hearts to Himself and I love that he protects and keeps His own. I love that He calls His people to holiness when He said, "be ye Holy as I am Holy." I love the preaching of His word and the singing of His praise and I love that everything is by Him, to Him and for Him. I love His glory. I love His wrath and the fear of the Lord. I love His wisdom and His mercy and grace and His power and justice, judgment, longsuffering, His jealousy and His love. I love that He is coming again to claim His bride and to destroy the earth and to judge both small and great. I absolutely love that He is Holy, Holy, Holy!

Yes, I love God.

Then I have to stop and think, where does that love come from? Some of the things listed are not natural to love. Did I really say that I love His wrath? Yes, because I do, but why? Why would I love that He is angry with the wicked every day? I know the answer. It is because He has caused me to fall so in love with Himself that I love everything about Him. He has kindled a love in my heart that will not be quenched but will only grow brighter with the passing of time. I love His character and attributes, He is so beautiful, so good, faithful, just and right. Oh, what a great God He is, there is no one like Him! It is no wonder that one great theme of the scriptures is for us to praise Him!

Let us Praise Him!

"Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! ... Praise ye the LORD." ! (Psalms 113:1-6)

Please write what you especially love about God. I know that there are many things that I did not mention that we can love about God. Does anything come to mind? please leave a comment with it!

3 comments:

Amber said...

Amen, amen, amen!

I love how He knows my prayers before I pray them, and often gives me good things without my asking for them; just to prove that He can.

I love how He isn't interested in building up my self esteem. I really love that.

I love His beauty.

I love His mercy. Ooooooh how I love His mercy!

I love His strength. I love how He can do anything He wants to do. I love how the wicked aren't in charge, and He can obliterate them with the blast of His nostrils.

I love His creative power.

I love His love.

Kristen Michelle said...

This is such a wonderful post. God's first commandment to us is to love Him. You have certainly written the kind of love He is talking about.

One of the things I love most about God is how He loved me first. He loved me more than life and gave His own Son to die for my sins. I love His mercy. I love that He can never sin. I love His faithfulness. I love His comfort. I love how His intention all throughout His word was for the salvation of man, and all so He could get the glory. I hate to say it, but I love the way He makes me wait for things until His timing. I just love the way that He always fulfills my dreams soooo much more than I ever dared to dream! I love His humility. I love His relationship to His people. I love how His wrath turns to mercy over and over again in His word.

Oh, wow. This is such a huge thing. It's amazing how many things pop into my head when I think about it. This was such a wonderful idea. Thanks so much for posting it!

Leah said...

Yes, Yes, Yes, to both of you!
Welcome to my blog Alethea Jordan!

 

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