FAILURE only becomes one, when you get stuck, and don't grow! Otherwise is called, lesson, a learning experience.-Harold

DO YOU LOVE GOD?

"But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him."-1 Corinthians 8:3

The Bible says that God KNOWS you if you love Him!

The word KNOW in the Bible is is always used for an intimate relationship. A deep, intimate knowledge means He is aware of you! He watches you! Someone asked me the other day, "How would describe the Good News?" I said, "The Good News is that God forgave you before the beginning of the world. God begs you to let Him love you. Once you surrender to Him, He takes over and God transforms your life! No more worries about salvation and eternal life! God declares you a full members of His Kingdom, now, and forever!" Isn't that Good News? So opposite to what religion teaches! The Good News are liberating!

How can you tell if you really love God? Better yet, how can you tell if you are really grateful to God for His extravagant love?

Here are some indicators of whether you are grateful to God for His love, and you just long to be a part of His presence and radical movement on this earth!

 You will long for personal communion with Him. When you really love someone, you like to spend time with him or her. And if you really love God, then you will want to spend time with God. Reading the Bible. Praying. Meditating. Talking to Him. Out gratefulness and love, you will seek to commune with Him! That's what lovers do!

 You will love the things that He loves. We know what God loves by what He has declared in His Word. The psalmist said, "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:162). If you seek to find out what God loves, He will reveal it to you.

 You will see SIN the way God sees it!. SIN is a condition that only God can heal you from. SIN is not just the "bad" things you do, but the "bad" and the "good" things you do without God! SIN is a condition not just acts! Morality, correct behavior, irreproachable ethics, without God, equals nothing! The "new birth" experience is what the two words describe... A totally new beginning, driven by the transforming presence of God! Romans 7, 8

 You will love other followers of God. In 1 John 3:14 we read, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." Don't say that you love God while you harbor hatred toward fellow believers.

 Your will gladly invest time, energy and money in God's Kingdom expansion. A lover of God can not shut up. He has to share God with others. A lover of God is a witness to the power and the love of God! Last week Wayne brought two new people to "Life Center." I could read the joy on his face! At the end he said to me, "God willing, next week I will bring two more!" Wow! There is nothing more satisfying than to be involved in Kingdom expansion.

 You will look forward to the weekly gathering of followers of God @ Life Center. Our weekly gathering is not just to hear a message and affirm our spiritual walk with God, but to actually fellowship with one another. When we hear testimonies of miracles, we are strengthen by the Spirit of God. When you get to know a fellow believer, you are enriching your own experience, and blessing someone else. How many people do you know personally @ Life Center? Do you know what happened to someone else the week before? Do you care to ask? That kind of friendly behavior will show you love God! Sometimes a good joke, a good laugh, is a great way to fellowship! Make a point to get to know people around you!

 You will long for the Second coming of Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote, "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). A follower of God who loves God, is also looking forward, with a sense of anticipation, to Christ's return.

 You will keep His 10 commandments. Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me . . ." (John 14:21). If you love God, then you will do what He says. How can you obey God's commandments? By accepting God's power in your life! You will never be able to keep perfectly God's commandments! But in His power you will!
If you love God, the proof will be in your actions.

God bless you today!

Let God love you!
Love others extravagantly! (1 Corinthians 13: 13-TM)
Love self with the love of God!"
Be merciful!

Gail, while I enjoyed your post very much and even printed it out to show to others, I can see one major problem and that is the word "NEVER". Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Jesus say be ye perfect as the Father is also perfect? I searched for Jesus saying what you wrote, but found the opposite, that not only is it possible to obey all ten of the commandments, but it is manditory to do so in order to overcome the sinful world as those found in Rev. 12:17 and the few in Rev. 3:4.

You will never be able to keep perfectly God's commandments! But in His power you will!
If you love God, the proof will be in your actions.

Read what Jesus said about this in the prophecy of the talents in Matthew 25. I will go with what Jesus said on this AND about the branch is nothing without the root of the vine. God does NOT make choices for any of us, it is entirely up to each person to make the choice. But being attached to that vine makes our choices the right choice.