I had a conversation a couple days ago with a very sweet woman. We were making small talk at a coffee shop when she asked me what I was reading.
I responded, “the Bible.”
I value the Bible, first, as a dining table where I can eat the spiritual food I need every day to be sustained in my Christian life; however, the ease with which a godly and edifying conversation can be initiated simply by the presence of a Bible, or even by simply mentioning it, cannot be discounted. On this occasion, as in so many others, the presence of my Bible altered the course of our conversation.
This woman was thrilled that I, a twenty-something young man, would spend my time reading the Bible by myself. She felt comfortable and decided to tell me a bit about herself, and her love for God. And that is what struck me: the way she talked about her love for God. I wish my mind was able to articulate this thought in that moment because, while we talked, I struggled to find encouraging words to share with her beyond the usual agreements and affirmations (like the classics “mm-hmm“, “uh huh” and “totally“). To be honest, I said very little in our conversation.
She, however, continually spoke of her love for God. It overwhelmed her. She said, repeatedly, “My love for God is huge.” And I think the message she wanted me to finally get was that she thought of God as totally valuable; also, that she knew God in an intimate way that many others don’t.
This might be true; however, there is something about that phrase that really irks me. Think about it: “My love for God is huge.”
My love for God is not what is glorious. My love for God is contingent upon God’s love for me. That’s what is glorious—his love, not mine.
And now, I stand convicted by this realization. I’m forced to ask myself: How do I fare in speaking about God’s love? Do I speak about God in such a way that his victories in my life proclaim his might, his glory and his LOVE? Or do I exalt both the praise I give God and the affections I have for God above God himself, making it more about the praise than about the One whom I am praising? Too often, I camp out in the latter group.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 1 John 3:1(a)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
May we never tire of praising God for the great victory he won in loving us. He calls us his children because of his love. Amazing, isn’t it? “God’s love for us is huge.” Now, that’s a true statement worth repeating.
