Show God You Love Him
“Be careful to obey all the commands I give you; show love to the LORD your God by walking in his ways and clinging to him.”
-- Deuteronomy 11:22 (NLT)
How do you show others that you love God? Do they know you as a Christian because it’s what you claim with words or do they know you as a Christian because your actions reflect Jesus outward?
Casting Crowns released a song a few years ago about church members being oblivious to the hurting people right outside their doors. I think sometimes we’re all like that. We get so caught up in our own lives, our own concerns, that we don’t see others. It’s not that we intentionally ignore them. We’re just walk right by without ever glancing their way.
Time is always such an issue for most of us. Daily demands of caring for loved ones, earning a living and, yes, attending church doesn’t leave a great deal of time for reaching out to people we don’t know and can’t fix. Because we do want a quick fix. We’d prefer to write a check. Or maybe donate an afternoon and see lots of results. Then we can pat ourselves on the back, confident that we’ve done God’s work without putting ourselves out too much.
But is that really showing God how much we love Him? Doing good to make us feel better about ourselves isn’t what God had in mind. Really. It isn’t. We’re to do good all the time because we love Him. Notice that word “all.” Not when we feel like it. Not when it’s convenient. Not when we’re shamed into it. All the time. Because we love God.
So invite someone to church. Take an elderly neighbor out to eat or, better yet, invite her to your house for a family meal. Don’t just pass that beggar on the street. Take time to say hello and hear his story. Treat him just like a beloved child of God -- because he is. Be kind. Show compassion. Refrain from judging what you do not know. Show God how much you love Him -- by loving the people around you with your actions.
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