Love Builds Up

"Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols.

Yes, we know that 'we all have knowledge'

about this issue.

But while knowledge makes us feel important,

it is love that strengthens the church.

Anyone who claims to know all the answers

doesn't really know very much.

But the person who loves God

is the one whom God recognizes."

1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NLT

The Pharisees knew the scriptures well.  They studied the Torah and the Talmud, which was the written record of the interpretation of the Law, an oral tradition passed down from generation to generation.  These men thought they knew exactly what God expected of them and that they were therefore the experts to be held up as examples of godly men.

Unfortunately, they neither knew God nor loved Him, leaving their knowledge of God as a tool that served to elevate themselves.  Jesus often criticized their sense of self-righteousness and ironically held them up as an example of how not to live.  While the Pharisees thought they had it all together, their opinion of themselves couldn't be further from the truth.

The question then becomes, how do I live in a way that elevates God instead of myself?  The answer is found in the way I respond to the following:  How do I love God?

Obedience

From the beginning he was a boy dedicated to the Lord and served Him from a young age. (1 Samuel 2:18)  The first time he heard the voice of God, his mentor had to tell him what to do.  Even though the first message was a difficult one to tell, he spoke to words the Lord had given him, delivering the prophetic judgment against his own guardian.  Samuel was obedient to the Lord.

His love for God led Samuel to take the Lord seriously, doing as He directed even if it didn't make sense.  When it was time to choose a king to replace the defiant Saul, then, Samuel had no problem passing over all the sons of Jesse who seemed fit for the position and instead let God choose the one whose heart was inclined toward Him.  Consequently, Samuel anointed the little brother, a mere shepherd boy who would come to be known as a man after God's own heart. (1 Samuel 16, Acts 13:22)

Loving God means doing what God asks me to do.  When my common sense says to take the easy way but God directs me toward the difficult, my love for Him will drive me into obedience.  When all my friends are advising me to take the job, but my heart is ill-at-ease, my love for Him will drive me to do exactly to that which He has inspired me.  When the obvious choice seems to be to go through the wide door, but the narrow gate is calling my name, my love for Him will propel me through the uncommon way.

My love for God can manifest itself in the same way it did in Samuel, a man who followed God's direction to the minute detail.

Priorities

Nothing had been spared to hunt him down.  Even though he was the Lord's anointed, his time was yet to come.  Meanwhile, he was living like a hunted animal, running from cave to cave, keeping just out of reach of the king whose jealousy burned like a consuming fire.

Suddenly, it seemed God had provided an opportunity for the hunted to kill hunter, ending this lethal game of cat and mouse once and for all.  As David and his men hid in a cave one day, Saul entered to find a private place to relieve himself.  David crept up and cut the hem of the king's robe, retreating quickly into the darkness before Saul even knew he was there.  Intending to kill the king, David's conscience got the better of him as he called off his men, saying, "The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the LORD's anointed one for the LORD himself has chosen him." (1 Samuel 24:6)

Sometimes it seems that God has delivered the fruit of my desires to within my reach.  The temptation dangles like a luscious peach on a tree, but if I love God, I will put His will above what I want.

Loving God means His glory and His will is my most ardent desire.  Instead of taking what is so temptingly handed to me, loving God means I will set aside my reputation and instead choose His way.   Instead of doing what is within my rights to do, loving God means I will cast my privilege aside and pick the option that will best glorify Him.  Instead of paying attention to how my obedience to God might hurt another, loving God means I will put His will above my own popularity or comfort.

My love for God is apparent when I put Him first in all my decisions.

His Pleasure

He was the richest, wisest, most famous king of all time.  Every pleasure known to man was made available to him.  As one who loved women, He took 700 wives as his own and kept 300 concubines at his disposal.  (1 Kings 11:3)  No source of delight was withheld from King Solomon.

Still, he labeled everything as meaningless.  It's not like he didn't try to find purpose and fulfillment in the things of life.  He lived life to the fullest, tasting every kind of food, sampling the affections of many foreign women and studying the great philosophers.  Nothing, however, brought any kind of deep satisfaction to his life. 

Solomon's conclusion to his search for significance was this:  "Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

When I am tempted to live for myself, catering to my own desires, my love for God will turn my heart toward pleasing Him instead.  When the way He leads me is filled with thorns and prickly people, my love for God will propel me forward anyway as I desire His delight above my own.  When I see what pleases me standing right in front of me, my love for God will turn me around toward what will please Him.

My love for God means I will seek His pleasure above my own.

It is easy to fall into the same trap as the Pharisees and know a lot about God, but not know Him.  When I enter into a personal relationship with the God of the Universe, I will find a love for Him growing in my heart.  This devotion to Him will lead me to want to do what He asks of me, to desire His will and glory above all things, and to seek to please Him in all I do.  In this way, love will work to build up God's kingdom in a powerful way.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will keep God first in my life.

How do I seek my own pleasure instead of trying to find what God wants me to do?

When am I more concerned with my own rights instead of what will bring glory to God?     

Pride of Knowledge

"'I am not possessed by a demon,' said Jesus,

'but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.

I am not seeking glory for myself;

but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.

I tell you the truth,

if anyone keeps my word,

he will never see death.'

At this the Jews exclaimed,

'Now we know that you are demon-possessed!

Abraham died and so did the prophets,

yet you say that if anyone keeps your word,

he will never taste death. 

Are you greater than our father Abraham?

He died, and so did the prophets.

Who do you think you are?'

Jesus replied,'If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.

My Father, whom you claim as your God,

is the one who glorifies me.

Though you do not know him, I know him.

If I said I did not,

I would be a liar like you,

but I do know him and keep his word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought 

of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.'

'You are not yet fifty years old,' the Jews said to him,

'and you have seen Abraham!'

'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered,

'before Abraham was born, I am!'

At this, they picked up stones to stone him,

but Jesus hid himself, 

slipping away from the temple grounds."

John 8:49-59

Kids in today's celebrity-driven culture think they know those they watch on TV, in movies and in videos and concerts.  This promotes the perception that what they read about in the magazines, learn from watching interviews, and find out by listening to gossip makes these famous people their friends.  Star-watchers can claim knowledge of those they study, but without cultivating a real, mutual relationship with the object of their research, they can't claim to really know that person.

It's not so different with God.  I can learn a lot about God by reading the Bible, talking to experts, and taking classes where His ways are taught, but until I enter into my own relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ, I can't claim to know God. (Psalm 34:8) The Jewish leaders made this mistake.  Since they were experts in God's law and thought they knew everything there was to know about God without actually knowing Him personally, they missed the coming of the Messiah; They simply did not recognize Him.

I must guard against falling into the same kind of pride of knowledge by taking some simple yet profound steps.

Keep to His Teachings

There is a difference between knowing something in my head and knowing something in my heart.  The latter will change my actions and way of living while the former tends to puff me up with pride.  (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

For instance, if I know that my husband likes his eggs scrambled with onions, peppers and ham, that knowledge alone is not enough to drive me to go through the trouble of making them in the way that pleases him.  There is a lot of work involved in beating the eggs, chopping up the vegetables, slicing the ham and cooking it just they way he likes it.  The awareness of his likes is not enough to get me to go through that kind of hassle.

My love for him, however, gives me the desire to make him happy in small ways like cooking what he likes.  Love is what makes me rise to the occasion.

In the same way, it is my love for Jesus which compels me to live my life in the way He has shown me.  It's not about following a set of rules, however, but in walking side-by-side with His Spirit as He reminds me of all that He taught. (Galatians 5:16-18, John 14:26) Only in following His lead will I be able to carry out His teachings.  In my own strength, I am not capable of pleasing God.  It is only by following Him step by step that I will be empowered to live in a way that honors God.

Billy Graham said, "Incredible as it may seem, God wants our companionship. He wants to have us close to Him.  He wants to be a father to us, to shield us, to protect us, to counsel us, and to guide us in our way through life."   He desires to go deeper with me than simple knowledge of Him.

In order to keep from falling into the trap of superficial faith, I must let His love drive me toward an intimate relationship with Him as the Lord of my life.

Know God

It's hard to get to know someone who won't be honest with their feelings.  When they put up a front that everything is okay when I know it's not, then I feel like they don't trust me enough to share openly with me. I assume there must be another friend with whom they'll confide, effectively driving a wedge in our relationship.

God is no different than I in this way.  If I only say to God what I think He wants to hear instead of what is really going on inside of me, I am sending Him the message that I don't trust Him enough to depend on Him and have confidence in Him.  Instead, I prefer to either keep my feelings inside where they will wreak havoc on my health, or to turn to someone else as a betrayal of the One who loves me perfectly.

God said through the prophet Jeremiah that when I seek God with all of my heart,  I will find Him. (29:13)  Most of the time, though, I hold back.  I may be afraid that if I completely submit to Him, He might ask me to give up something or someone I don't want to live without.  Or it could be that there are some areas in which I'm not willing to surrender control because I like to decide what I can and cannot handle.  Or I may simply want to continue living as I always have, not seeing the need to change.

When I finally make that decision to obey Him wholeheartedly, though, I will truly get to know God.  He will teach me His ways as I trust Him with my life.  He will reveal more of Himself as I open up to Him honestly.  As I offer myself as a living sacrifice, putting my life completely in His hands, I will understand more of what He desires from me. (Romans 12:1-2)

In order to keep from falling into the trap of superficial faith, I must live authentically with my Father, obeying and seeking Him wholeheartedly without any hidden agenda.

Humble Myself

My husband and I have been married for nearly 24 years.  Even with that much time racked up together, I don't know everything there is to know about him.  We continue to learn new things about each other every day.

If it takes a lifetime to get to know another human being intimately, why would I think I could gain complete understanding of God while I'm in this temporary place we like to call earth?  God's ways are so much higher than my ways and His thoughts would blow my mind if I were to know them. (Isaiah 55:8-9)   It is impossible for me to fully understand His mind.  (Isaiah 40:13)

Despite this truth, I still get into the mindset that I have Him figured out, even in some small way. I observe the way He works in me, and I assume He'll do the same for my friend.  Other times I'll remember what He said to me during past difficulties, and I'll try to apply it to today's hard times instead of letting Him work afresh.  Sometimes I think I know how He'll work so I miss when He does come through because I was looking in the wrong direction.

When I expect certain things from God, I'm not open to His lead.  If I assume He's going to heal me from sickness but it's His will to lead me through it, then I'll miss out on the blessings He had prepared for me through the pain.  When I expect to live a life of luxury and comfort as one of His children, then I'll be disappointed and may lose my faith if it's His will for me to live in poverty.  When I suppose my life will be free from heartache, then when trouble comes I won't be able to see God's hand through the struggle.

Nineteenth century French Carmelite nun Therese of Lisieux said, "We are too little to be able always to rise above difficulties.  Well, then, let us pass beneath them quite simply."  Following Jesus means that I must let Him direct my footsteps and be willing to accept what He has for me.  

In order to keep from falling into the trap of superficial faith, I must humble myself in order to be able to accept His calling and recognize His revelations.

There is a lot to learn about God.  Either I can discover Him vicariously, or I can learn directly from Him.   If I choose an intimate relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, I will avoid the snares of the Jewish leaders who only knew of Him but knew Him not.  Then I will be able  to keep to His teachings, know God as a living Father, and humble myself so that He can choose for me.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can choose intimacy above book-knowledge.

How do I tend to try to be an expert on God instead of seeking to know Him?

When do I betray the superficiality of my connection to God?