If you love me...

I love those comics "Love Is." According to the comic Love is a lot of things... Love is... spending time together, love is going out for a pizza when she's too tired to cook. One of my favorites is love is... cooking his favorite dish when you are on a diet. Another good one is love is... our new baby.

The theme of most of those comics is love is putting the other person first. The Bible says the same thing. Love IS an action and love always puts the other person first. I Cor 13 tells us that Love is patient and kind, love does not envy or boast... love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The Bible also says that "love covers a multitude of sins". Love is a decision to put another person above ourselves even when that person is our enemy or has hurt us in some way. Love is sometimes... HARD.

BUT, my thoughts today really aren't about how I can love others... My thoughts today center around Jesus. He said Love for him is... obedience. Jesus said "IF you love me you will follow my commands." In the past I have deceived myself into thinking that I love God when according to HIS word I clearly do not. When there is known sin in my life I am being disobedient, therefore I can not according to God's word truly love him. OUCH. If I believe God's word to be the only truth and that my heart is deceitful above all things then I have to agree with what God's word says. I do not truly love God. I love myself and my sin.

This is where I am going to be very honest... It's painful for me to do so, but this blog is the place where I think through thoughts that are running amuck in my head. MY sin is PRIDE. I think I am better than other people and I will preach the glories of myself to anyone who will listen. BUT, to be so great I have to run other people down. My sin is GOSSIP and JUDGEMENT. I HATE this one the most, because it exposes the true nature of my self exalted heart. My sin is dishonoring my husband and complaining about my children (or the work). My sin is lack of faith in my finances. My sin is doing things my way because I don't trust the Lord and I don't want to wait on him. These are just some of my sins, but they reveal alot about my heart.

After reflecting on this the past few days I see that I do not truly love God. I do not keep the commands of Christ so I do not truly love him. So, my "resolution" not for the year, but for the rest of my days on earth to show Jesus that I do love him. I am going to take a serious look at each one of these sins and ask for forgiveness. I am going to beg God to show me how to repent of these things and not continue to do them. I am going to ask the Lord to prick my heart every time I commit sin against him, because it is my desire to prove my love to Christ. He proved his love for me when He gave all that he had for my salvation, so that He could restore fellowship with me. Isn't that the most amazing thing that HE wants fellowship with me... Well, that's a whole other post.

Lord, it is my desire to show you this year that I do love you. I pray that you will be increased in my heart and that I will decrease. I pray that my "works" will prove my love!!!