Showing love...

This week's memory verse: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8  

If you love someone how do you show it? I've been thinking about that this morning. There are many people that I truly love...how do I show it and how do they know? Especially with the people closest to me, my husband and my daughter...I tell them. We say I love you when we close a phone call. We say I love you when we go to bed each night. I am pretty sure that all three members of my little family know that they are loved. But, sometimes, our actions SEEM to tell a different story. We get lax in the way we treat each other because we are with each other so much and we think they love us and will forgive us for our bad behavior. I get grumpy with my daughter and I yell at her about many things. She frustrates me and I let her know it. I get aggravated with my husband and give him the cold shoulder sometimes....passive aggressive behavior at it's best. And then, sometimes we do really nice things for each other, or send each other a sweet unexpected text, or we spend special time with each other. That's when we feel loved.  

How about our relationship with God? It's kind of the same thing, isn't it? There are times we speak our love to him. There are also times when we seem to forget him and go about our own lives, not showing him love. It's rather hard to have a relationship that's one sided, isn't it? We need to feel his love back...we need to hear it, don't we?

  John 14:21 says the person who knows and keeps God's commands shows love for God and God will show his love back and make himself known. Isn't that what we all long for...to know there IS a God who loves us and to feel his love?  

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 lists 5 things God asks of us:
1. Fear God (know that he is there, be aware and amazed at his power and know that his is WAY bigger than anything we can think of. And, yes, that knowledge should make us fear his consequences.) 
2. Walk in obedience to him. (Do what he tells you to do!) 
3. Love God 
4. Serve the Lord (everything you do should be in service to him...what he wants you should give) 
5. Observe the commands and decrees of the Lord (you have to know them to obey them...read and study his word to find out what his wants you to do, and then do it)  

So, it looks in order to show this God of ours we love him, he wants our obedience. And, because he knows us so well, he knows that this isn't easy for us and isn't always possible for us...just like showing love to those closest to us isn't always possible either. That's why it's a good thing we have a forgiving God who gives us grace when we need it!  

You know, this works with how we love ourselves as well. God tells we are to take care of our bodies...we should obey him and love ourselves enough to give our body what it needs...good nourishment, exercise, rest, no junk...SHOW yourself you love you and love God enough to take care of the body he gave you! This is hard, believe me, I know! But God will show you how, if you ask. He will also go out of his way to make us feel his love...are you ready to feel God's love?