Love with Abandon

What is it to truly love our God? To give back to God what He has given us so abundantly?

Some might say it's to worship, to read the Bible, to pray, and to go to church. And I would agree. However, one can worship with hands raised and not be showing love to Jesus. One can read the Bible, and have wisdom and insight revealed to them in great quantities, but when they do not love God, what point is there? One can pray earnestly and even experience Jesus strongly at church, but if that one does not show their love for Jesus, are they really any better off?

I would argue not. I know, especially in my life, that I can love Jesus and yet not show my love TO Him. One can be a diehard Christian and love Jesus, but if that love is not put on display, no one will see Jesus in their life! Jesus, and our radical love for Him, need to be put on display for our world to see and admire. We wonder why Christianity has a bad name, and we are so quick to point out those that blatantly disregard Jesus and His teachings. But just following rules and saying you love Jesus does just as much damage, I think, to the church! The only way to show people that we love Jesus is to show our love for Him to others!

Jesus says: "If you love Me, you will keep My commands." So follow Jesus wherever He has you go, and do His work! But don't just STOP at that; show the world WHY you do your work! Being a Christian isn't following Jesus, it's LOVING Him... following Him is a certain, guaranteed effect of loving Him. God uses those that follow Him for His glory, but how much more can He use those that put their love on display!! If we abandon all our pride, and just dive crazy deep into this crazy love He's given us, well, this world would think we're crazy! And when they see the rapturous joy and optimism that stems from LOVING Jesus, they will be forever changed! A man's love is a greater testimony to his God than his actions.

Showing our love for God to others is a tricky thing. We need to live for and with God when we are comfortable AND when we are uncomfortable. In my life, it's pretty obvious how I can show my love for God to others better. I'll hold doors open for people; but I don't sit with those same people and share Jesus with them at lunch. I'll be encouraging and optimistic for others; but I will not approach those who sit alone and look down. 

"Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense,
deep water faith in the shallow end,
and we are caught in the middle!
Well, God's wide-open to the differences,
the God we want and the God who is;
but could we trade our dreams for His,
or we are caught in the middle?" - Casting Crowns

This song really convicts me, because so often I am obedient to fear rather than my God. I back away from opportunities to share my God unless I am comfortable; I can talk about Jesus with my peers, but to BE Jesus to a stranger is a different story. But this is how I can SHOW my love for my God! That I would have the audacity to follow His commission because I love Him; that would change others! See, we are even called to show our love for Jesus to others, and yet, we call it good when we do love Jesus.

It's hard for me sometimes. I see spiritual growth in my partners in the faith, and I see God doing amazing things in and through them, and I hide in the shadows. I write about Jesus, but how often have I said a simple, "Jesus loves you," to a person in need? I do my best to encourage others, but how often have I ministered to those outside my sphere of comfort? There is a Christian, and there is a RADICAL Christian, and until I take that step over the precipice, I will stay complacent in the shallow end of my faith. 

I've been told I am extremely self-critical sometimes, and its the truth. I over-evaluate myself over and over again. I strive my best, but in hindsight, I need to start employing God's best. God has forgotten my shortcomings, and He carries me through my failures and sets me on a high place. He draws me into the wilderness and speaks tenderly to me, whispering His promises of undying love for me, awakening my affection. I KNOW that I love Jesus; I am desperate for oxygen when I cannot feel Him near! Now I need to SHOW that love in a radical way!

I'll wonder why I don't seem to grow in the faith; why I'm afflicted by the same thing over and over and yet my endurance does not grow. Well, I had better start striving after Jesus and showing my love for Him to others, otherwise I AM stuck! Ya know, Jesus does mighty things through those that follow Him, but even mightier things through those that pursue Him. That go above and beyond His original commission, and live radically! They display a crazy love for an awesome God and show us what it means to live like Jesus. We say, "Oh, I could never have a faith like that," but you know what? We CAN. We just need to seek out Jesus and ASK Him! He is the One that supplies the faith to those we look up to, why don't we get up off our chairs and ask God for faith to do His work? For it's when we humble ourselves before our God, and ask Him how we can show our love for Him to others, do we #LiveItLikeJesus.