Earning Love

So I guess you can say I am in the working world now. I still don’t feel comfortable in this place, to be honest. At least not comfortable being apart of corporate America. You know what, I have actually learned from being here. I’m not sure of if you are aware of this concept, but in order to advance in business you have to perform well. If I want to climb the so called “corporate ladder”, I have to constantly do better and better. Actually, I guess you can say this concept applies to most things in our world. If you want something, you have to work for it. I think this concept has been branded in our minds. It’s just the way the world works.

I guess now the question is how this “performance equal rewards” concept has affected our relationship with God. My guess is in a bigger way than we think. Let me say this. God can never love you any more than He does right now. Did you here that? God can never love you any more than He does right now. Let that sink in. Seriously. This idea is something that greatly amazes me and has affected my life. I guess I grew up with the idea that if I wanted God to love me more, I would have to do more things for Him. I mean, this concept is something that is true in most areas of our lives. I go to church whenever the doors are open because I want God to love me more. I read my Bible everyday because I want God to love me more. I say a prayer before every meal because I want God to love me more.

This kind of thinking about God, about performing for acceptance, it is not that healthy. It’s doing things out of obligation and not out of love. Example: I have a wife. (Use your imagination) Let’s say my wife has a birthday. Which do you think would be the sign of a healthy relationship between her and I: me giving her a gift because I felt it was my duty or me giving her a gift because of my love for her? Obviously the latter is the best.

The simple fact is God’s love for me and you can be no better than it is right now. No amount of mission trips, tithes, Bible studies, or prayers could ever improve His love for us. I know there are some people out there who would yell at me “faith without works is dead”, but I am not arguing against that. I am saying that sometimes we get in these places in our relationship with Him, where we are just doing things out of obligation. When we start trying to wrap our minds around of this great love God has for us, I believe it will cause in us a desire to want to live a life for and about Him.

This concept of His love, that there is nothing we can do to earn it; it’s so unlike the ways of this world. He did say something like His ways are not ours. We are brought up with these ideas that in order to get ahead in life we have to work harder, but God’s love doesn’t work that way. He says, “I love you just as you are. You don’t have to try to prove your love to me in order to get ahead. It can’t be done. Just accept that I love you and let My love transform you.” Notice the part about letting His love transform you. Yes, God does love us right where we are. God loves the pastor, the prostitute, the missionary, and the atheist each where they are. But, God wants His love to flow through us and change us in order to become more like Him. I want to love as God loves. I think many times in the Church, we have this idea that if someone wants to be apart of our big Christian family they have to meet us on our terms, but truthfully our love should meet them where they are first.

I don’t want to perform “Christian things” out of obligation, trying to earn His love. I don’t want to apply the world’s concept to One who is above this world. I don’t want to be apart of the false gospel that God’s love can be earned by doing more good deeds. I want to live fully in God’s love, allowing it to shape me and draw me closer to Him and spread from me to everyone I come in contact with. Walk and live in love…