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Gretchen Mure Rodriguez

Loving God On Purpose

 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. " John 14:21a


When I committed my life to Jesus, I really went all out. I was so in love with Him that all I wanted to do was read my Bible, ask questions, and talk to Him non-stop. I wanted nothing to do with my old lifestyle. I remember reading this first part of John 14:21 and telling myself that if my obedience to Him would prove my love for Him, then I would be the most obedient person on the earth. (Yeah, we all can have a good laugh at that one!)

However, He began to teach me that it wasn't my obedience that proved my love. Obedience without love is  a slave mentality. It was my love that naturally caused a desire to be obedient. My heart's cry to know Him more and my love-sick heart were seeds of love that would blossom into branches of a new lifestyle. My desire to pray, read my Bible, etc., wasn't done out of religious obligation, it happened naturally because I couldn't get enough of Him! My intimacy with Him became a driving force, causing me to want to do things for and with Him, and pushing me away from things that would dull my relationship with Him. It still does today.

This morning, in my inner man, I kept hearing the phrase: "Loving God On Purpose". I'm not sure if He is giving me a title for one of my books, (so please don't snag the title!) but as I meditated on this phrase, I was reminded of the Scripture in John. We must love God on purpose! From the time we wake up we set our mind on things above (Col 3:2), we turn our hearts to the One we love. There is no freedom in a religious obligation to serve Him, but the greatest freedom is to love Him without reservation. 

There are seasons He so graciously makes us aware of His presence. It's like a thick love cloud that comes  from no effort of our own, swooping in closer than our own breath. And there are seasons that the air is stale and dry and we have to ON PURPOSE draw close to Him to feel His presence. Both of these seasons are equally important. The first one reminds us that our loving Heavenly Father doesn't need a reason to love us. The second is a reminder that we have many reasons to love Him and He is worth pursuing. 

Let's remember that loving God on purpose is the whole reason we became Christians. He is our first love. His presence is filled with peace, joy, radiance and glory and even now - at this very moment He is calling you closer. He is calling you to a lifestyle of "Loving God On Purpose."
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Comments

  1. Jenna Carter3/04/2012

    Good stuff! I posted this am on knowing Him....really knowing Him. I want to understand Him more, and to do that I must KNOW Him more....I am longing for MORE! : ) Blessings! <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pat Lairson3/04/2012

    You are such a good writer! NEVER GIVE UP! Get all the artistic, creative, books, articles, paintings out that you can!!! NOW in the name of Jesus!

    ReplyDelete

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