When You're In Love

Two weeks of discussion about lukewarm living can really start to get me down.  I don't know about you, but constant focus on my weaknesses, shortcomings and/or sin starts to make me wonder if I can really be a Christian.  Am I going to have to memorize the whole Bible now?  Worse yet, will I need to do everything I says in order to stay saved?  Forget the effort, will I ever be able to accomplish all this?

The response to the discussion of the past couple weeks isn't supposed to be "trying harder."  The response He wants us to have is to "love more."

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV)

When we love God, we make Him our highest priority.  We look for opportunities to spend time with Him.  We want to get to know Him.  We want to hear His voice because we know that His words are worth hearing, valuable, and true.  We enjoy being in His presence and we hurt when we sense He is away.  Our love for God is more important than anything else in our lives.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 NIV)

When we love God above anyone or anything else, we find ourselves doing strange things like talking to Him all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17), listening to Him and putting it into practice(1 John 5:3), and even loving every person we meet (1 John 4:21, Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 5:43-48).  You even find yourself at peace, not fearing anything because perfect love drives out all fear (1 John 4:18). Love really does conquer all.

Do you love God with everything or do you hold some things back?  
Are you in love with God or in love with the idea of a God who will be on your side?  
What does your life look like when you're in love?