07/24/2025
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 into a pit of fire? If our answer to any of these questions is yes, then our faith might just be an illusion, and our love for Him far less than He deserves. This morning, I am reading Psalm 84. This is a declaration of love, and the language is incredible. There is no doubt of the psalmist's intense love for God as he begins by writing about his longing to be in the Lord’s presence…
“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 this 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, nor 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 will draw appropriate praise from within us, and bring 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
Friends, our lives as Christians shouldn't be about the tedium, simply doing Gods bidding, following Jesus out of fear, nor the reward we might receive, no, our lives should be about our love for God and Jesus… and its overpowering and its overpowering nature that leaves us no other course but to worship them. If we give only to receive, then what is the true power of our giving? Where is the blessing? Is the love we offer really a love of ourselves?
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, albeit 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 we read about 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 our very soul and is focused solely on 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 that are written about in verses 4-7 of our Psalm this morning, we read these words in Zephaniah...
“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 them with an agape love, or with a lesser love for the gifts we might receive in return for doing so? Is our motivation blessing, or is it in being a blessing? Gifts of love should have no strings attached. They must come as blessings because they are a symbol of our love, not because of 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 in prayer, 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 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 sins through Christ, your Son. You are my shield, my provider, and in you there is protection, salvation, grace, mercy, and redemption; in you I rest because there is peace in your love, and comfort in your arms. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who is the source of all love, and out of this love for the world you sent your only begotten Son to suffer, die, and to be resurrected so that your deep desire for us could cleanse and redeem each one of soul who would love you with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to love you as I should Father, and to remain in a loving relationship with you for all eternity. From you comes every expression of love, and for each one of them I will give you honor, glory, and all my love in return. Praised be your name Abba!
“For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.”
Psalm 108:4-6 NIV
Amen
Rich Forbes