To Love Him More

At youth group this past week, we were asked to answer the question: “What keeps you from loving God like you want to?”

I think there are many different things in our lives and thoughts, and our hearts, that prevent us from really loving and embracing God like we are meant to. A huge reason for many people, I think, is that they blame Him for things He didn’t do.

You see, He doesn’t tell us everything. We have to just trust Him with our futures, loved ones, problems; our lives. We have to trust Him and believe that He knows what’s best for us, and He is leading us along that path.

When bad things happen, we sometimes blame Him; thinking that He caused it, willingly allowed it, or just doesn’t care. We say things like: “It’s God’s will”, “He’s trying to teach me something, so once I learn my lesson, He will make it better”, “I am meant to suffer with this”, or even that “He’s punishing me”. These can all be true, but not in these ways.

It is not God’s Will that you are struggling. It is His Will to help you, and heal you. Always

He does teach us many things and we grow so much through our trials, but they are not given by Him to punish us. He only uses those things, and does not let us be afflicted with more than we can bear. He’s always there to lean on and rest in; He never deserts His children. And through our perseverance in those things, we are made perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

When we go through struggles, we are able to help and encourage others who are going through the same thing. (So don’t be afraid to share your testimonies of victory, or your struggles, because we are the body of Christ, meant to build each other up!)

God doesn’t punish His children for their sins (past, present, or future) ; Jesus took the punishment for all sin on that cross

John 10:10 NASB – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

When Jesus was here on earth, He healed all diseases and ailments, took care of all problems, and provided all that was needed. He never once said, “Oh, sorry, I can’t heal you of that because it’s God’s will for you to suffer with it for a while, until you learn your lesson.” Uh, no, He loves you and He wants to see you healed and whole, and that’s what Jesus came to do.

Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV – “Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But, He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

It was our pain that He carried on that cross, everything wrong with us, all the sins we would ever commit. He took it all. He paid the price, so we don’t have to.

He doesn’t cause sickness or disease. That’s satan; Jesus heals. He doesn’t take a life away; He breathes His Life and Breathe in us. He doesn’t give us problems to go through; He helps us through them.

He never causes or willingly allows those bad things, but He does turn them all around and make them all work out for our good. He uses those things to grow, strengthen, empower, and love on us.

We need to see Him for who He is – not an angry God who punishes us for everything we do wrong, but a loving Father who desires for us to walk with Him, in peace, for all of our days. Yes, we will go through various trials, problems, and horrible experiences, but, if we let Him, He will be our joy and comfort through it all.

He wants us to know how much He loves us, and that what He wants for us is whole and abundant life! He hates to see us hurting, and He especially hates to see us not living in the peace that He can give us to heal our hurt and help us through any difficulty. When we are blaming Him for things that He didn’t do, we aren’t truly loving and embracing Him like we should because we aren’t experiencing the fullness of His love for us.

Matthew 7:7-11 NKJV – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father, who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, to bring glory to My Father. If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.

 

So, how can we love Him more? By knowing that He is who He says He is, and by asking Him to do what He says He can do