Shine Your Light!Sample

“Growing Our Love for God”

Developing a love for God is perhaps a bit more challenging than with a friend or family member. One primary reason is that we cannot physically see God. So, maintaining and growing a love for God requires faith.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Faith allows us to channel a genuine love from our hearts directly to God, even though we cannot see Him with our physical eyes. In order to grow our love for God, faith must be active in our Christian lives.

As we read God’s Word, observe His love and involvement in our lives and others, and fellowship with Him in prayer, we begin to know God more and more. Knowing Him more over time nurtures a genuine maturing love for Him in our lives.

Growing that love for God out of our faith in Him also depends on demonstrating that love through action:

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17

Our love for God through faith, accompanied by our commitment to God through action is the chemistry needed for a successful, growing relationship with Him.

While our love for God will most certainly grow as a result of putting our faith into action, it is also important to understand that these actions do not earn God’s love and favor for us.

The truth is that God already loved us intimately and without condition long before we ever knew Him. God’s love is the true source of ours: our love for Him and for others.

We love because he first loved us. I John 4:19