Discovering Secret Treasure Hidden In Plain Sight

I discovered the secret to being in proper relationship to God.  The biggest discovery was that it isn't such a secret after all, it was hidden in plain view.

Reading throughout Scripture, there are so many commandments and ordinances, so many warnings about obeying God, believing God, remembering his commands,  being holy... it just seems like so much pressure!  Then Matthew records Jesus making it simpler for us by boiling it all down to the Word given in Deuteronomy 6:4- this time face to face: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  (Matt 22:37-40, emphasis, mine)

Jesus’ focus is not on behavior modification.  Instead, it is about WHO and HOW we love. The obedience will come later.  

The deeper our love for Christ, the more tender we will be to his leading and the more we will want to please Him over our flesh.  To love Jesus more, we can start by recalling how He left glory and the praise of the angels to be with us and save us, you and me, so that we could have what He always intended - everlasting life.  We can recall how he met with the “least of these” (we resemble them more than we realize) and gave them dignity and purpose.  We can know that the One who fulfilled all prophecy in the Old Testament is trustworthy to fulfill His promise of His Return. My heart softens to Jesus whenever I reflect on these things, no matter my circumstances.

Within the commands to love and obey God, we are taught an important spiritual truth.  Here is the secret that is not so hidden:

Be very, very careful WHO you love because you WILL serve and obey them.  

It is the most natural thing in the world for us. We were created to do it.  We demonstrate our love by serving the object of our affections.

Not only should we open ourselves to loving Jesus more, we need to do an inventory of our heart. Who do we love? Do we love people who put our best interests first?  Do they build us up or tear us down? Do they encourage our dependence on God or on themselves? Would Jesus be blessed or heart-broken over our conversations?  Would we be comfortable or ashamed to have Him witness our activities with them? (By the way, He does witness everything.)

I have loved the wrong people before.  I am grateful to say that by the Grace of God and through His Spirit, He has shown me the ones I need to love from a distance and the ones who are safe for my inner circle.

He will absolutely do the same for you.

Want to please God?  Love Him as best you can, with your broken self, right where you are.  When you fail, and you will, remember that you won't be the first or the last.  But our God is faithful to his promises.  When he said, he will remove your sins “as far as the East is from the West”, he proved it in scripture.

Some years ago, I struggled with how Abraham did not fully obey God when he was told to "...Leave [his] family and go to a land [God] would show [him]".  He took Lot (part of his family) and it was a hot mess.  Yet the author of Hebrews in chapter 11 says, "By faith Abraham...obeyed".  The apparent inconsistency really bothered me.  How is it that he who did not obey fully is one remembered as obeying?  That's when the Spirit spoke to my heart and said, "I told you I wouldn't keep an account of the sin.  Not Abraham’s.  Not yours."  How gracious our God is to let us have proof of his forgiveness!

There is no inconsistency with God.

It is hard to love well. But I am convinced there is no greater pursuit.  We are not called to go it alone, we are given a Helper. Should we fall short, let us allow the truth testified to in Hebrews 11 join hands with the promises in Psalm 91, and reach into our hearts and bring us peace:

"...Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." (vs. 14-16, emphasis mine)

The God who loved us first, loves us best.

May we, in turn, love him each day more than the day before.