week 1: Love
tuesday
Love is Mutual
”Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol[a] on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
When I was dating my now husband, I was always thinking about ways I could make him feel special and loved. I would write him cute notes or surprise him with baked goods at his place. It was easy to love him initially because everything was new and exciting. Don’t get me wrong, now that we are married we still have plenty of love and excitement, but oftentimes I have to be very intentional to still make him feel loved. What once came so easily to do special things for him dwindled with the realities of life, business, and normalcy. In marriage I don’t just love my husband when things are going well, I love him even if things aren’t going well.
Whether you are married or not, our relationship with Christ is one that is characterized by love. We are not just told God likes feeling loved, we are actually commanded to love God with our whole selves. We are called to love God even when the novelty of being His daughter has worn off and you are having a bad day and taking it out on Him. Love is not just about God’s love towards us, it is about our love towards God. So when we hear that we are called to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and strength how does that make you feel? If I were to follow you around for a day, or you were to give me your iPad or computer, what would I see? Within a day I would be able to at least have a glimpse into what you love most. The pictures you post on social media, the things you say to others, the money you spend. All of those things reveal where your heart is.
God loves us so much - much more than we could ever even comprehend. But how do you feel about God? Most of us know we are to love God for what He has done for us, but do our lives really show that love, or have we forgotten that loving God well takes thought and care?
Questions to Ponder:
Do you love God, like really love Him?
What would it look like if you cared more about God being loved than yourself?
Today’s Reading: