Do You "Feel" Like You Love God?

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt

Psa 145:2-3 “Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

If you have ever have, (and I know many or most of you have,) – Do you remember what it was like when you fell madly in love? Remember how your head slipped into a fog? Do you remember that your heart and mind no longer had the capacity to think about a multitude of things but only one thing – your new love? Do you remember your new-found ability to write romantic words and poetry that seemed to flow like a river from you? Do you remember that time, distance, and inconvenience to see your new love didn’t and couldn’t exist? Do you remember the freedom to spend every penny you had on the one you loved? Do you remember that you could talk forever and never run out of things to say? Do you remember the absolute confidence that you could overcome any obstacle with your new love? Oh the joy of falling in love! If only the exuberance never faded.

Falling in love is one of the most powerful forces of “feeling” that mankind will ever experience. It can certainly seem the MOST pleasurable. That’s why there is a never-ending creation of songs, stories, and movies over the subject of love. Love is a huge business generating billions of dollars ever year!

People’s manner and ability to feel and express love is different depending on the atmospheres of love or lack of it in which they grew up. One’s personality traits and giftings that God placed within our human makeup also affect how each person expresses love. Hollywood holds us hostage to the fabrication of a man and woman that have been married for 8 years passionately kissing as they come home from work, the way they first did when they got married. Hollywood paints love as mostly sexually. Their portrayal is far from the truth. They are simply trying to appeal to the lower nature of the fleshly sexual or lustful desires with a man.

Friends of Renee and I had us laughingly while telling the story of how they kissed for three hours straight in their “falling in love” courting season prior to getting married. They have probably never had a repeat of that session since the first year of their marriage even though they love each other with great passion. It’s not that it couldn’t happen but is for the most part unlikely because of how the expression of love changes as love matures. We all understand that our expressions of love changes and mature, right?

The same is true with our expressions of love to God. They change and mature over time. I continuously talk to Christians that tell me they go through periods where they feel guilty because they don’t feel like they have the “feelings” of love for God in the way they should. They hear others talk about loving God but describe their relationship feeling somewhat dry or withdrawn. Well that could also be true for millions of husbands and wives. Not could be, it is! It is in the respect that they don’t feel the sensual flaming passion that they might have experienced when they first fell in love.

One thing that I have found that always stirs my love and affection for the Lord is the having a spirit of thanksgiving. Whenever I have been out on a run or just in a quiet place of prayer and I start thinking about where I would be without the Lord, it gives me a cold shiver. The thought is scary to me. When I think about all the things the Lord has done for me; how has saved my soul from eternal damnation and helped me to know and value the right things in life – I am so thankful. He has given me wisdom to raise my children that I would never have had any other way. He has blessed me with awesome friendships. He has provided for me over and over at critical times when I didn’t know what I would do. By teaching me His ways, He has helped me develop godly character and has raised my entire standard of living helping me to live a productive life. He has straightened out my thought life, healed my body, and given my life of great purpose. As I meditate on how many times He has supernaturally helped or blessed me, I feel overwhelmed with His love and feel passionately in love with Him. When I do, my words of Praise to Him such as from today’s Fresh Manna verse take on much greater meaning – “Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.” They powerfully stir my feeling of intimacy toward Him.

All relationships go through seasons of change, maturing and development. Our expressions of love do take on some changes through different seasons of life. Our love always needs stirring. Meditating on the love you have for the Lord will greatly stir you! Expressing that love sincerely to Him in your prayer life whether in sincere heart-felt words, or in song, or perhaps in sacrificial giving as a form of your thanks – however you are led, it will stir you to new levels. And PS, apply this same things toward your spouse and children or friendships and you’ll get similar results. Love is awesome and worthy of the attention we give in stirring it up.

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/