Loving Him Cost Something

Araunah owned a field which King David wanted but Araunah preferred to gift it to the King. David however, would not accept it for free because he wanted to build an altar for God on it and he had purposed not to give God anything that cost Him nothing. It’s easy to assume that living with that attitude of mind is easy; but if it is, a number of us would easily be described by God as “a man after mine own heart” which is not the case. David loved God and was mindful of Him. He sought always to give Him the best and at his own expense. He didn’t always do right but his love for God was always right so that his heart was described as perfect toward God. He loved God so much he trusted Him greatly so that if he had a problem, he could never accuse God; he instead, sought to know what was required of him so the problem could be fixed. Indeed, true love is not selfish. Love is not love until it esteems the other and the deeper the love, the greater the esteem and trust. No matter how much we claim to love, the depth of that love is tested by the extent of our trust and David’s love for God passed the test.

Acts 13: 22 “About whom God said, I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.”

1 Corinthians 13: 5Amp “Love… is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not easily provoked (not overly sensitive and easily angered)”

True love is costly. It believes the best. Those who love God believe the best of Him. Believing the best of anyone is not something we work at; it flows naturally from the amount of love we have for them. If we love God, then we just know, even when things are obviously not going well and life seems to be working against us consistently; that though He permitted it all, He’s intentions remain good and He is working good. Hence Job struggled with cursing God as his wife counseled him to do. Through pain and great difficulties, he could not think or speak evil concerning God. Job could not accuse God. I believe his wife may have loved God too, but not enough to remain on His side as their lives seemed to evolve in ways they did not understand or appreciate and seemingly, without an end. Her love for God was not deep enough to impact her perception of God unlike her husband whose love was so deep he could not look away from it enough to curse God.

Isaiah 41: 8b “… Abraham my friend”

No wonder! Though He calls us friends generally, He calls some “my friend”. This is that level of friendship that makes one believe that no matter how bad things look, His thoughts toward them are good. No matter how much we want to believe we love, our trust level gives us the true picture. You see all the seemingly wrong things but you remain steadfast believing the best. If you are quick to blame and/or accuse someone you claim to love so deeply, whether directly or indirectly, then you may not love the person as much as you may like to believe. If your relationship is about you, what you are going through or He has done to you or the cost to you and such like, then you may not love Him as much as you think. Of course, the fact that you desire to give Him suggest a level of love but this is about that love that is special and qualifies one to be “special friend”. How dare you suggest that you are special when you know you are the focus of the relationship? Neither selfishness nor self-centeredness exist in a truly loving relationship. Real love is selfless to the point where it naturally “believes the best.” Unless and until we love God, we cannot truly love another. I guess this is why people think they love so much they kill the one they love out of jealousy but that is not love.

1 Corinthians 13: 7 “Love bears all things (regardless of what comes), believes all things (looking for the best in each one), hopes all things (remaining steadfast during difficult times), endures all things (without weakening).

Unless and until we love God, we cannot truly love another. I guess this is why people think they love so much they kill the one they love out of jealousy but that is not love. It is only to the extent that we love God that we can love others and our knowledge of God impacts on our love for Him. You have to know Him to love Him. If you love someone based on what you see only, you have a problem; you need to know them enough to interpret their actions correctly and so it is with our God. Love is real; it is not built on fantasies.  The people we love are not loved because they are perfect; we love them because we are saved but the depth of our relationship with them is tied to the extent to which we understand and accept them which comes from engaging them. Our love for God is deepened only as we engage Him. Otherwise, that love remains elementary.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The person old life is gone: a new life has begun.”

To love Him is to present ourselves a living sacrifice which definitely cost something, simple as it sounds. A yielded life is tough especially because we have minds and a right to make choices and/or decisions. Every decision for God is a decision to die to something you would naturally want albeit wrong. It cost something to unlearn and learn so we would rather add knowledge to what we knew but that is not what God requires of us. He demands that we unlearn or empty ourselves that we may learn or be filled up. The unlearning process makes one look silly, but when He fills us, we are numbered amongst the honored. Our God rewards every sacrifice and or labor of love and yearns for it. He cares even more when it cost you something hence the story of the widow’s mite. Please think deeply, when was the last time you gave of yourself such that it cost you deeply? Think on it that you may judge your love for Him correctly.