LOVE IS AN ACTION WORD

LOVE IS AN ACTION WORD Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. John 14:21

It’s easy to say how much I love someone but harder to show them.  Genuine love expresses itself.  People can sing beautiful songs about love and know very little about it. Love is not buying candies and roses, fancy dining or extravagant vacations. Very often love is demonstrated in those places of great discomfort, sacrifice and commitment.  Love is not a feeling.  Love is a decision. People who love you decide to stick by you in tough times. Even if they grow weary they push themselves to be by your side. They may even ignore their feelings just so they can be there for you. The biggest dilemma for God’s children has always been for our love to express itself through obedience. When you speak of obedience most people automatically think about committing sin.   We may be a far cry from a public or moral failure due to committing sin. Nevertheless, there may be disobedience in our lives due to the sin of omission.  That is when I refuse to do what God wants me to. No, I didn’t tell Him I refuse, I just didn’t do it.  Or I do part of it.  Partial obedience is disobedience. We praise God and we also praise people. When someone does an excellent job we acknowledge their effort.  We praise people but we should only worship God. We humble ourselves before God. We shouldn’t bow down to people. Our worship belongs to God. Worship is reserved for the One that is superior in every way. The scripture says the Father seeks for true worshippers. These are the ones who are willing to do what God says in spite of the costs. And so that brings me to Abraham. God tested Abraham. God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you” (Genesis 22:2). Abraham got to the heart of worship with his reply.  The next verse, Genesis 22:3, states that Abraham got up early the next morning and started on his way. When Abraham got to the designated location he is focused on doing exactly what God said. In Genesis 22:5, Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”  God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and provided a ram in the bush for the sacrifice. Abraham moved out with an obedient heart in spite of any conflicting emotions.  He was prepared to worship God, not on his own terms, but God’s. We can have emotional experiences and praise in meaningful, expressive ways but we do not love God appropriately without obedient living. Worship gets to the heart of a man or woman and brings them to their knees. Worship is more than a song. God requires so much more than a song, shout or a dance from us. It is evident to us that Abraham loved God because He was willing to do exactly what He said. He didn’t hesitate to obey. It is evident to God that we love Him when we obey.