SeniorSeeker
Active member
Dear friends,
"I love you, O Lord." When I read those first words of Psalm 18 this morning, I asked myself, "How and why do I love the Lord?" I have read and, no doubt said, that the ultimate is to love God because of who He is, not because of what He has done for me. That sounds really good. It seems much more "spiritual" to love God because of who He is. It feels a bit mercenary to love God just for what He has done for me. Somehow loving God for who He must be deeper, more mature, more selfless. It probably is. I also think it's totally unrealistic and humanly impossible. Actually if I really wanted to find the most selfless motive for loving God it wouldn't even be to love Him because of who He is. It would be to love Him because of who I am, to love Him out of my own pure, righteous, perfect being. Now that is the ultimately unrealistic impossibility! That is, of course, how He loves me--out of His own pure, righteous, perfect being. But to even think that I can love God in the same way and with the same motive that He loves me is ludicrous, preposterous and close to blasphemous. Reading the rest of the psalm I discovered why David started out "I love You, O Lord." In writing about himself he refers to my enemies, my distress, my voice, my cry, my foes, my disaster, my darkness, my adversaries. He calls God my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold, my support. He can't escape it. David loves God because of what God has done for him. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! He was needy and God met his needs. I, too, love God because of what He has done for me. I praise God because of what He has done for me. I obey God because of what He has done for me. I serve God because of what He has done for me. I can't escape it. God loves me because of who He is and in spite of who I am. I can't match that. Does it sound like God bought my love by what He did for me? Yes. Exactly. "You were bought at a price." (I Corinthians 6:20) "He bought [us] with His own blood." (Acts 20:2
Verses for the day: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins . . . . We love because He first loved us." (I John 4:10,19)
Phrase for the day - I love You, O Lord, because of what You have done for me.
Quote for the day - from "My Jesus, I Love Thee" by William Featherston
I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow.
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
With the prayer that today you will love the Lord because of what He has done for you.
"I love you, O Lord." When I read those first words of Psalm 18 this morning, I asked myself, "How and why do I love the Lord?" I have read and, no doubt said, that the ultimate is to love God because of who He is, not because of what He has done for me. That sounds really good. It seems much more "spiritual" to love God because of who He is. It feels a bit mercenary to love God just for what He has done for me. Somehow loving God for who He must be deeper, more mature, more selfless. It probably is. I also think it's totally unrealistic and humanly impossible. Actually if I really wanted to find the most selfless motive for loving God it wouldn't even be to love Him because of who He is. It would be to love Him because of who I am, to love Him out of my own pure, righteous, perfect being. Now that is the ultimately unrealistic impossibility! That is, of course, how He loves me--out of His own pure, righteous, perfect being. But to even think that I can love God in the same way and with the same motive that He loves me is ludicrous, preposterous and close to blasphemous. Reading the rest of the psalm I discovered why David started out "I love You, O Lord." In writing about himself he refers to my enemies, my distress, my voice, my cry, my foes, my disaster, my darkness, my adversaries. He calls God my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold, my support. He can't escape it. David loves God because of what God has done for him. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! He was needy and God met his needs. I, too, love God because of what He has done for me. I praise God because of what He has done for me. I obey God because of what He has done for me. I serve God because of what He has done for me. I can't escape it. God loves me because of who He is and in spite of who I am. I can't match that. Does it sound like God bought my love by what He did for me? Yes. Exactly. "You were bought at a price." (I Corinthians 6:20) "He bought [us] with His own blood." (Acts 20:2
Verses for the day: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins . . . . We love because He first loved us." (I John 4:10,19)
Phrase for the day - I love You, O Lord, because of what You have done for me.
Quote for the day - from "My Jesus, I Love Thee" by William Featherston
I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow.
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
With the prayer that today you will love the Lord because of what He has done for you.
God Bless! Ma Betty