Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Revelation 2:4
Our response of love towards God is so important that God considers it a primary requirement for our relationship with Him. We can be very certain about the Love God has towards us. That love is expressed in the life and death of Jesus Christ. God indeed loves us with an everlasting Love (Jeremiah 31:3). However, like every other relationship, there must be a response to love expressed.
Our opening verse makes it clear that its possible for a person’s Love towards God to grow lukewarm or cold. A believer could be ablaze with the passion of love and fervency of zeal towards God. But over time, many things could come between him and his relationship with God, so much so that what is left is mere actions without the life and zeal that comes from love for HIM. Clearly, God does not want us to do things for Him because we Have to, but because we love to. For example, our prayers, services towards God and the way we relate with men must be motivated by love if any of it will carry any weight or essence in the spirit or be rewarded in eternity.
How then do you respond in love towards God?
The first step is to realize that everything originates from the Father. Even your response of love must have its foundation in God. Remember that We Love Him BECAUSE he first loved us (1 John 4:19). You can’t love God simply because you want to. The passion of your response of Love towards God is driven by your understanding and the level of your focus on His love for you. Once you stop struggling and decide to focus on how much He loves you, then your passion of love for Him will be revived.
Our Response of love towards God is one of Obedience.
When we really love God, we are empowered to obey Him and live out the Word. Obedience to God is a prove that we love him. Nevertheless, the power to obey comes from Our love for Him. When you find it difficult to obey God, your Love for him is wavering. Right then is the time to refocus on him and ask Him to help you revive your love life with the father. He says, if you love me, obey my commandments (John 14:15). Obedience is a proof of Love, but Love holds the power to make us obey.
Loving others is part of our response of Love.
You must first have a healthy love relationship with God before you can effectively Love others. The bible clearly says we can know that we love the brethren when we love God and keep His commandments (1John 5:2). This implies that loving God and keeping his commandments is automatically loving others. If you really desire to love those around you and make your relationship with them better, then it is time to focus on your love response to the father.
Love for God produces Holiness.
Holiness is one of our responses to the love of God. Keeping your purity of spirit soul and body before God is one way to demonstrate your love for Him. It is difficult to relate with God effectively when one often meddles in sin. Remember what great sacrifice it took for you to be delivered and separated from sin. All that Jesus did was done for love and demands a holy reverence of Love.
Soul winning is a response of our love for God
When we truly understand the love of God for the human race and what it took to demonstrate that love, we are propelled by the same force of love to partner with God to extend that love to the world. Out of Love, God’s heart yearns for the salvation of the souls of men. That same love propels us to go after those who are yet to know God as Father through the finished work of Jesus.
