The Bible tells us that God loves the world. We know this through John 3:16. It tells us,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We know that God automatically loves everyone. There is no exception. Everyone that is alive and breathing on this earth and has a soul is loved by God. There is a scripture in the Bible that even tells us,
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. {Romans 5:8}
God’s love is truly amazing. No one can fathom it. No one can even come close to comparing to it. But do you know that you can do something that can make God love you more? So many preachers tell us that we don’t need to do anything to make God love us more. It’s not by works we earn God’s love. There is absolutely nothing we need to do to make God love us even more. I don’t know about that. I mean, in some way it’s true. God loves us so much we don’t have to be perfect to earn that love. He already loves us even while we were yet sinners. But if it’s all true and we don’t need to do anything to make God love us even more, then why did Christ say to the disciples that unless they give up their lives to Him they will not be worthy of Him?
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. {Matthew 10:38}
Then He says again to everyone,
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. {Luke 9:23}
There is a condition after all to having one hundred percent of Christ. Sure, God loves us, like parents love their children automatically without them even lifting up a finger when they are born. They’re just automatically loved. But can we really believe that a child who does more for their parents will be treated equally in affection as the one who gives them grief, or who does nothing at all? Maybe some earthly parents do, because there are always exceptions when it comes to this fallen world we live in. But when it comes to Christ, the more we give of ourselves to Him, the more He gives of Himself to us.
The idea of God playing favorites seems so unthinkable to us, so unacceptable. And yet, if God doesn’t play favorites why then would He say in this scripture:
As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” {Romans 9:13}
And again:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. {John 10:27}
So basically, not everyone that calls the Lord, “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is what He said to His disciples. He said to them,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {Matthew 7:21}
So just because the Bible states “God loves the world” doesn’t mean everyone in it is going to be saved. He might love them as a parent loves a child, but in the end even that child is going to become an adult and make his or her own decisions. There is nothing a parent can do can change that child’s mind if he or she decides not to listen to them. In the end, that child is going to determine his or her own future. The parents cannot force their will upon them no matter how much they love their child. So it is with God. He is not going to force Himself to those who do not want Him. He will however love more those that respond to Him and that want Him. We can definitely bring ourselves to a place where we can have God love us more. Absolutely. However, it’s not going to be based on works as some people think. Some Christians go around thinking this is the way to get God to love them more. They say to themselves, “I have to feed the poor…I have to save the homeless…I have to preach to remote places…I have to do this and I have to do that, on and on and on…” This is not what I am talking about when it comes to having God loving you more. I mean, sure this is commendable. God will be pleased with His people that do good works because they love Him. But be sure that it’s because you love God that you do this thing, rather than because you want Him to love you more. If you really want God to love you more, it is actually simpler than this. It’s actually less work.
Well, just think for a moment what it means to you to be in love with someone. And if you are in love with someone, what could they do to make you feel loved by them? I don’t know about you, but for me (and I feel that this applies to every relationship) in order for me to feel loved by the person I love, they must spend time with me. If they’re too busy and they tell me again and again they’re too busy, and always make excuses, I will doubt their love for me. A parent spending time with their child, a friend with a friend, a man with his wife… doesn’t just this simple act of spending time with someone mean everything when it comes to feeling loved? How is a wife to feel if her husband just goes to work all day and then comes home very late at night when she’s already asleep, and the next day when she wakes up he’s gone again? After awhile, give it a year or two, maybe even less than that, that relationship is sure going to end up breaking apart. Even if the reason why he goes to work is to provide for her because he loves her, there is no way that relationship is going to last. What makes a person feel loved is for you to spend time with them. Yes, there are many other things you could do and or give to them to make them feel loved. But there is no greater expression of being in love than spending time with the person you love. Your presence so many times is all that is needed for the person that loves you to feel valuable to you.
The Bible tells us that we are created in the image of God. We all know that in the Book of Genesis,
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. {Genesis 1:27}
Often we wonder what God wants and what God is thinking. We wonder how does He truly feel about us? It’s like God is a total enigma to us. We cannot comprehend Him. And yet the answer is right here in this scripture. God created us in His image. Basically it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that God would feel the same way we feel about love. Why should He feel any different? This expectation of feeling loved actually came from Him, because we are created in His image. If we feel loved when someone spends time with us, talks to us and pays attention to us, it’s because this is exactly how God feels. Why should God feel any different? After all everything that we are came from Him. This idea of love came from Him. We are created in His image, this is the very reason why we feel the way we feel about love, because this is the way He feels about it. There should be no mystery about this.
That’s why we should forget our version of what we think God expects from us. All you have to do is look within yourself and think, “What would I require of someone to make me feel loved?” When you find the answer, give the same thing back to God. The truth is when it comes down to it, every single person and every single soul on this planet earth will feel loved when you pay attention to them, talk to them, and listen to them. When you make them feel special by being with them, and letting them know that they matter to you. Don’t tell me that a husband who comes home late at night from work will feel loved when his wife worked all day cleaning and slaving in the kitchen, but when he asks her to spend time with him she tells him she’s too busy. If she continues that, we all know where that relationship is heading, that relationship will soon end. If she thinks that her husband can feel loved by having a clean house and a cooked dish for every meal, but no one to spend time with or talk to him, she is mistaken. This husband might as well hire a maid, because he surely doesn’t have a wife.
Likewise when it comes to Christ feeling loved by us, He doesn’t want us being “too busy” doing His work or “church” work even. He cares for us spending time with Him. This is basically what He told Martha, the sister of Mary in the Bible. Martha was upset with the Lord because her sister Mary was just sitting there by His feet listening to Him talk, while there she was slaving away with the servants in the kitchen. She told the Lord, “Lord make Mary come and help me! All she’s doing is sitting there and listening to You.” To Martha her sister Mary was doing nothing! We know what the Lord said to Martha, He defended Mary. The Lord said, “Martha leave Mary alone. She’s chosen the right thing, and that will not be taken away from her.” {Luke 10:38-42} Talk about being loved more by God, huh? By the way, I’m almost positive that this is the same Mary that was at the tomb when Jesus rose again after He was dead for three days. She was the very first person Christ appeared to. She was so in love with the Lord that she ran to Him and wanted to hold Him so much. But the Lord told her He couldn’t touch her yet because He hasn’t gone up to heaven. Instead the Lord told her to tell others that He’s alive. He said to her,
“Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” {John 20:17}
Notice here how Christ is “owning” His disciples, the relationship He had with them. They belonged to Him and He belonged to them. He called them, “My brethren…” It’s not just everybody Mary was to tell the message to. Why? Because they spent so much time together with Him! He loved them! And it was imperative that they come to know that He has risen. And yet interestingly enough, out of anyone He would appear to, He appeared to Mary. You would think it would be one of His closest disciples, maybe John the Beloved, or Peter, even Andrew. But no, He appeared to Mary! Why? Because she loved Him and cared nothing else but for Him alone. And the Lord knew this. She didn’t care about the miracles. She didn’t care that He could turn the water to wine or multiply the bread to feed the hungry. She just cared for who He is. She
The Bible tells us that God loves the world. We know this through John 3:16. It tells us,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We know that God automatically loves everyone. There is no exception. Everyone that is alive and breathing on this earth and has a soul is loved by God. There is a scripture in the Bible that even tells us,
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. {Romans 5:8}
God’s love is truly amazing. No one can fathom it. No one can even come close to comparing to it. But do you know that you can do something that can make God love you more? So many preachers tell us that we don’t need to do anything to make God love us more. It’s not by works we earn God’s love. There is absolutely nothing we need to do to make God love us even more. I don’t know about that. I mean, in some way it’s true. God loves us so much we don’t have to be perfect to earn that love. He already loves us even while we were yet sinners. But if it’s all true and we don’t need to do anything else to make God love us even more, then why did Christ say to the disciples that unless they give up their lives to Him they will not be worthy of Him?
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. {Matthew 10:38}
Then He says again to everyone,
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. {Luke 9:23}
There is a condition after all to having one hundred percent of Christ. Sure, God loves us, like parents love their children automatically without them even lifting up a finger when they are born. They’re just automatically loved. But can we really believe that a child who does more for their parents will be treated equally in affection as the one who gives them grief, or who does nothing at all? Maybe some earthly parents do, because there are always exceptions when it comes to this fallen world we live in. But when it comes to Christ, the more we give of ourselves to Him, the more He gives of Himself to us.
The idea of God playing favorites seems so unthinkable to us, so unacceptable. And yet, if God doesn’t play favorites why then would He say in this scripture:
As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” {Romans 9:13}
And again:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. {John 10:27}
So basically, not everyone that calls the Lord, “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is what He said to His disciples. He said to them,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {Matthew 7:21}
So just because the Bible states “God loves the world” doesn’t mean everyone in it is going to be saved. He might love them as a parent loves a child, but in the end even that child is going to become an adult and make his or her own decisions. There is nothing a parent can do can change that child’s mind if he or she decides not to listen to them. In the end, that child is going to determine his or her own future. The parents cannot force their will upon them no matter how much they love their children. So it is with God. He is not going to force Himself to those who do not want Him. He will however love more those that respond to Him and that want Him. We can definitely bring ourselves to a place where we can have God love us more. Absolutely. However, it’s not going to be based on works as some people think. Some Christians go around thinking this is the way to get God to love them more. They say to themselves, “I have to feed the poor…I have to save the homeless…I have to preach to remote places…I have to do this and I have to do that, on and on and on…” This is not what I am talking about when it comes to having God loving you more. I mean, sure this is commendable. God will be pleased with His people that do good works because they love Him. But be sure that it’s because you love God that you do these things, rather than because you want Him to love you more. If you really want God to love you more, it is actually simpler than this. It’s actually less work.
Well, just think for a moment what it means to you to be in love with someone. And if you are in love with someone, what could they do to make you feel loved by them? I don’t know about you, but for me (and I feel that this applies to every relationship) in order for me to feel loved by the person I love, they must spend time with me. If they’re too busy and they tell me again and again they’re too busy, and always make excuses, I will doubt their love for me. A parent spending time with their child, a friend with a friend, a man with his wife… doesn’t just this simple act of spending time with someone means everything when it comes to feeling loved? How is a wife to feel if her husband just goes to work all day and then comes home very late at night when she’s already asleep, and the next day when she wakes up he’s gone again? After awhile, give it a year or two, maybe even less than that, that relationship is sure going to end up breaking apart. Even if the reason why he goes to work is to provide for her because he loves her, there is no way that relationship is going to last. What makes a person feel loved is for you to spend time with them. Yes, there are many other things you could do and or give to them to make them feel loved. But there is no greater expression of being in love than spending time with the person you love. Your presence so many times is all that is needed for the person that loves you to feel valuable to you.
The Bible tells us that we are created in the image of God. We all know that in the Book of Genesis it says,
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. {Genesis 1:27}
Often we wonder what God wants and what God is thinking. We wonder how does He truly feel about us? It’s like God is a total enigma to us. We cannot comprehend Him. And yet the answer is right here in this scripture. God created us in His image. Basically it shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that God would feel the same way we feel about love. Why should He feel any different? This expectation of feeling loved actually came from Him, because we are created in His image. If we feel loved when someone spends time with us, talks to us and pays attention to us, it’s because this is exactly how God feels. Why should God feel any different? After all everything that we are came from Him. This idea of love came from Him. We are created in His image, this is the very reason why we feel the way we feel about love, because this is the way He feels about it. There should be no mystery about this.
That’s why we should forget our version of what we think God expects from us. All you have to do is look within yourself and think, “What would I require of someone to make me feel loved?” When you find the answer, give the same thing back to God. The truth is when it comes down to it, every single person and every single soul on this planet earth will feel loved when you pay attention to them, talk to them, and listen to them. When you make them feel special by being with them, and letting them know that they matter to you. Don’t tell me that a husband who comes home late at night from work will feel loved when his wife worked all day cleaning and slaving in the kitchen, but when he asks her to spend time with him she tells him she’s too busy. If she continues that, we all know where that relationship is heading, that relationship will soon end. If she thinks that her husband can feel loved by having a clean house and a cooked dish for every meal, but no one to spend time with or talk to him, she is mistaken. This husband might as well hire a maid, because he surely doesn’t have a wife.
Likewise when it comes to Christ feeling loved by us, He doesn’t want us being “too busy” doing His work or “church” work even. He cares for us spending time with Him. This is basically what He told Martha, the sister of Mary in the Bible. Martha was upset with the Lord because her sister Mary was just sitting there by His feet listening to Him talk, while there she was slaving away with the servants in the kitchen. She told the Lord, “Lord make Mary come and help me! All she’s doing is sitting there and listening to You.” To Martha her sister Mary was doing nothing! We know what the Lord said to Martha, He defended Mary. The Lord said, “Martha leave Mary alone. She’s chosen the right thing, and that will not be taken away from her.” {Luke 10:38-42} Talk about being loved more by God, huh? By the way, I’m almost positive that this is the same Mary that was at the tomb when Jesus rose again after He was dead for three days. She was the very first person Christ appeared to. She was so in love with the Lord that she ran to Him and wanted to hold Him so much. But the Lord told her He couldn’t touch her yet because He hasn’t gone up to heaven. Instead the Lord told her to tell others that He’s alive. He said to her,
“Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” {John 20:17}
Notice here how Christ is “owning” His disciples, the relationship He had with them. They belonged to Him and He belonged to them. He called them, “My brethren…” It’s not just everybody Mary was to tell the message to. Why? Because they spent so much time together with Him! He loved them! And it was imperative that they come to know that He has risen. And yet interestingly enough, out of anyone He would appear to, He appeared to Mary. You would think it would be one of His closest disciples, maybe John the Beloved, or Peter, even Andrew. But no, He appeared to Mary! Why? Because she loved Him and cared nothing else but for Him alone. And the Lord knew this. She didn’t care about the miracles. She didn’t care that He could turn the water to wine or multiply the bread to feed the hungry. She just cared for who He is. She loved listening to Him talk. She loved His word. Simply put, she loved Him. Anyway, Mary was basically the first woman preacher in the history of the New Testament. Imagine that, a woman. She was given the privilege to tell everyone that Christ has risen! What a favor from God! Only because she truly loved Him and cared nothing else but just to be with Him.
Yes, indeed you can definitely do something to make God love you more, and it’s very, very simple: spend time with Him. The same way you would feel loved by anyone if they were to spend time with you. Do it for the Lord. I guarantee this, you will not be disappointed. In time to come, if you do this enough, you will feel God’s love more and more.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. {John 15:4-11}
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank You Father for Your great love upon me. I thank You that You never ever change. You remain the same yesterday, today and forever. Your word is true and You will never lie.
I pray Father for more love for You. I pray for more faith in Your love for me. Please Lord help me to stop making excuses and spend more time with You. Help me to seek Your face and find You. I know talking to You and coming to know You is the most important thing I could ever do in this life. Please Lord Jesus help me accomplish this I pray Father, in Your most awesome and wonderful name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
listening to Him talk. She loved His word. Simply put, she loved Him. Anyway, Mary was basically the first woman preacher in the history of the New Testament. She was given the privilege to tell everyone that Christ has risen! What a favor from God! Only because she truly loved Him and cared nothing else but just to be with Him.
Yes, indeed you can definitely do something to make God love you more, and it’s very, very simple: spend time with Him. The same way you would feel loved by anyone if they were to spend time with you. Do it for the Lord. I guarantee this, you will not be disappointed. In time to come, if you do this enough, you will feel God’s love more and more.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. {John 15:4-11}
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank You Father for Your great love upon me. I thank You that You never ever change. You remain the same yesterday, today and forever. Your word is true and You will never lie.
I pray Father for more love for You. I pray for more faith in Your love for me. Please Lord help me to stop making excuses and spend more time with You. Help me to seek Your face and find You. I know talking to You and coming to know You is the most important thing I could ever do in this life. Please Lord Jesus help me accomplish this I pray Father, in Your most awesome and wonderful name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
