As Christians, it is sometimes easy to allow our life experiences, vulnerabilities, or outside influences to sway our perspective of God. We recognize that He is powerful and can do anything and yet work past exhaustion, as if God depends on our efforts to accomplish His will. We declare He is all loving, yet believe He turns away from us when we mess up. We call Him a holy, faithful Father, but live as if He is a harsh critic or distant judge. Many of us struggle with a distorted view of God.
As much as I remind myself of the thousands of true characteristics of God in the Bible, I still have my moments where I project on God human limitations and failures. How could He love me after that sin? Why would He bless this situation when I have failed to have consistent quiet time? Why would God choose me when I fail to choose Him first? I struggle to stop thinking that God operates in the same way we do.
I recently read a devotional that used this statement and it really stuck with me:
“More than God wants us to do right, He wants us to see Him rightly.” [1]
Wow, how important it is for us to see God rightly. To see Him in His true and correct character. I contend that our view of God changes everything. Seeing God rightly begins with properly understanding His love.
God’s love
In some cultures earning and producing are an especially powerful trap. You receive based on what you have earned. While this works as a business principle, it’s a terrible rule for relationships – especially our relationship with God. We may think, “The more I do and achieve for God, the more favor I earn.” or “Why would God delight in me and love me if I haven’t earned it through dedicated pursuit of the scriptures and prayer?” or “The more I read and pray, the more delight God will have in me.”
As much as that is true for humans, that is not what’s true for God. God’s love and delight in us is not based on what we give Him. God doesn’t need us to do something for Him in order to give us His love. God loves us because He IS love (1 John 4:8). That is who He is, His character.
Simply put, God’s love isn’t earned. God doesn’t hold back His love like a king in a chamber only ready to gift it when His subjects properly approach Him and ask. Yes, reverence is required when we approach God, but that doesn’t determine His love for us. His love is what it is, not because of our actions but because of His character. Not only did you not earn or achieve it but you can’t escape, increase, or lose it. Despite all your shortcomings—as well as your amazing acts of obedience—God will always love you. That is who He is.
It is in this love that He disciplines, corrects, molds, and tests us. Because of love, He requires obedience. Out of love, He tells us to lose our lives, take up our cross, and rejoice in suffering. All of this comes from God out of His knowledge of what’s best for us, not because we must work hard enough to earn His love. His love is a free gift, and it is complete. It’s a demanding and yet freeing love.
1 John 4:19 says: “We love because He first loved us.” God’s love came first. He initiated it and applied it long before you could earn it or lose it.
Our Response
Our response to this amazing love is joyful obedience, because God’s love frees us to obey. It is not a stressful, exhausting, burdensome obedience, but rather a deep, joy-filled desire to serve and glorify God. When we fully understand the completely undeserved love of God, we want to be in relationship with God.
Do you ever wrestle with the “why?” of obedience? Why do you read the scriptures? What motivates your care for others? Why do you take the time to listen or sacrifice or serve? If these things are done out of obligation, fear, or pride, then it’s possible you are not responding to God’s love but trying to earn it. In a healthy relationship with God there will still be moments of exhaustion when you serve or times you need to force yourself to read the scriptures because you are distracted, tired, or tempted. But when your obedience is love driven, those times become less common. Obedience is not to earn security, approval, or a place in some spiritual hierarchy, but because God loved us first with a life changing love!
God’s overwhelming love should compel us towards joyful obedience. We obey not because we must check the spiritual boxes but because we are humbled, awed, and grateful that the God of the universe invites us into His presence.
I don’t think as humans we can live this out perfectly. We will always wrestle with wrong motives and an imperfect view of God. But I believe the more we remind ourselves of God’s delight and love for us, the more our hearts will be molded and free to obey with joy. It’s freedom because our obedience is an overflow of the heart, not a duty to be accomplished.
Obedience is the right response. It’s the right response because of God’s love, not because of the lie that we need to obey in order to earn more of God’s favor.
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” (2 Corinthians 5:14)
Abundance
The path to abundant life is seeing God rightly. Knowing Jesus and His longing for intimacy with us. Knowing His love that can’t be earned. Knowing that He stands at the door of our hearts pursuing after us. As Christians and busy leaders, it is easy to forget—and that is when our obedience can quickly become burdensome and exhausting. We all need the gentle reminders to stop striving to earn and start living because He first loved us. My hope is that you still yourself today and see the Messiah Jesus for who He really is. See Him rightly, and it will change everything.
Growth Point:
Seeing God correctly helps us overcome our pursuit of believing we need to earn God’s love.
Scripture Point:
Psalm 23:6 says: “Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.” (Message). Pray this verse and ask God to show you how it has been true in your life.
Action Point:
Where has your relationship with God been founded on works and earning? After reflecting, receive God’s abundant love again. Repent of your misunderstanding and spend some time in worship and prayer enjoying your relationship with God.
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