07/24/2017
Do we follow Jesus for the reward of eternal life? Do we serve Him for the blessings He bestows on us? Is our fear of God because we might be judged and thrown in a pit of fire? If our answer to any of these questions is yes, then our faith is an illusion, and His love for us far less than undeserved.
This morning I am reading Psalm 84. This is a love poem, and the language is incredible. There is no doubt of the psalmist' love for God as he begins by writing of his longing to be in the presence of God.
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”
Psalms 84:1-3 ESV
In verse the psalmist tells us of his longing for God, but he also gives us the reason why we should follow and serve our Lord... it isn't duty, or out of fear, but because of a deep love for Him that overshadows everything else in our lives.
“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
Psalms 84:10-12 ESV
God gives blessings and life, but only to those who walk up rightly; to those who trust and serve Him in love, and not for reward. The blessing is being before God, and this alone draws praise from within us, brings us strength,
“Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.”
Psalms 84:4-7 ESV
Our lives as Christians shouldn't be about the tedium, nor the doing of Gods bidding, or following Jesus out of fear, or for reward, but because our love is overpowering and leaves us no other course. If we give only to receive, then what is the power in our giving? Where is the blessing?
Stories of love abound in literature and they help us understand in human terms and actions how the strength of romantic love raises us up, and causes us to do great, and sometimes foolish things. It is a powerful emotion that is a gift when exercised in accordance with God's influence, but a curse if misdirected, and can lead to our downfall.
However, in this Psalm the love is not a romantic love but rather agape love, or the love of God for man, and man for God. This is an intense love that wells up from the very soul of us for our God. In this love of man for God, there is no misdirection, nor is there any unrequited character to it. God loves us more than we can possibly love him. We were made to love and be loved. If there is any doubt of this, we need only read a single verse in Zephaniah in order to see that God reciprocates by blessing us... with the same blessings called out in verses 4-7 of our Psalm. So in Zephaniah we read...
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
So how do we love God? In what way is our love manifest for Jesus? Do we love with an agape love, or with a lesser love for the gift we might receive in return for doing so? Is our motivation blessing, or in being a blessing? Gifts of love should have no strings attached. They come as blessings because they are a symbol of our love, not the love we have received. God blesses us because He loves us... not as a reward. How do we Bless Him?
Prayer:
Thank you Father for your love, and for allowing me to love you with all my heart and soul. I sing out to you, unable to control the outpouring of my spirit, and I give myself to you because that is the greatest gift I can give. You are my God, my Lord, my Savior, and in you I find all joy and fulfillment. Holy Father, I thank you for calling my name, and allowing me to call out yours. In your presence I am completed, and in you I find no shortcoming, you are the perfection that beckons me to your side, and your love for me purifies even my darkest sin. You are my shield, my Messiah, and in you there is protection, salvation, and redemption; in you I rest because there is peace in your love, and calm in your courts.
Rich Forbes