With A Passion
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1, 2, 3 ...... uh uh uh.... wait a minute... let me think. How do we show our love for our "loved ones"? As a mother, I know the way I show love is by doing little things for my children and grandchildren. Sometimes it is the simplest acts of kindness that make others feel the most loved and that are most remembered. I had an aunt when I was young who would always cut my sandwiches in half and serve them to me on my special plate. That act alone made me know she loved me; even though I never remember her actually saying the three little words that all children long to hear.
Now that I am an adult I realize "I love you" spoken is not nearly as appreciated as someone showing me that they love me. With Valentine's Day coming up, I ask myself do my loved ones truly know how much I love them. I hope so. I also wonder does God know how much I love Him. Is it enough to simply tell Him? No, I think He prefers that I show Him. Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. That definitely requires some action on our part; words alone do not "get it done."
In Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem, she describes how she loves. She loves purely, freely and with passion. Do we love God in that fashion - that is, with a passion? Paul loved God with that kind of love. He loved Him so much that he was willing to die for the cause of Christ. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Phillippians 3:10
Do we love God that deeply? Is our willingness to die for Him literally one way that we can count that we love Him? Before we even consider asking ourselves about our willingness to die literally, we first have to ask have we died to ourselves, our desires, and our sinful selfish nature?
If we love God we will show Him. He will know that He can count on us to follow after His ways, obey His commandments, and serve Him freely with a pure heart. Our actions speak louder than words.
jbp