Part Two: In Part One, we began pondering the meaning of 1 Corinthians 8:3:
But if one loves God truly
[with affectionate reverence,
prompt obedience, and
grateful recognition of His blessing],
he is known by God
[recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love,
and he is owned by Him]. (I Corinthians 8:3, AMPC)
We learned that God wants us to be affectionate with Him. For example, when Jesus was sharing a meal with His disciples for the last time, He asked them to remember Him with affection whenever they ate the bread and drank the wine.
Becoming more affectionate. In Part One, I shared that being affectionate with God did not come naturally to me at first because I had an overly formal attitude toward God. However, as I kept trying God kept helping. One big help was the little book “The Practice of the Presence of God”, written in the 17th century by a friar called Brother Lawrence. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It helped me overcome the last remnants of over-formality with God.
In this dynamo of a book, Brother Lawrence talks about chatting with the Lord while he worked in the monastery’s kitchen, for example. He said,
“. . . during any daily duty, lift your heart to Him (God), because even the least little remembrance will please Him. You don’t have to pray out loud; He’s nearer than you can imagine. . . We can make our hearts personal chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately. These conversations can be so loving and gentle, and anyone can have them” (page 36).
Slowly, I began talking to God more and more during the day, finding that as I drew near to God, He drew near to me (James 4:8) and that He was with me when I was with Him (2 Chronicles 15:2). I also found my feelings of affection for the Lord growing.
It works! It took a long time, with countless failures and trying again. However, continually seeking His moment-by-moment presence as Brother Lawrence suggested has brought deep settled peace and the confidence that my loving Heavenly Father will always, always, always help me find His presence and regain my peace, no matter what I do or what happens around me.
We can be confident He will come closer to us as we try to come closer to Him. He reassures us in I John 5:14-15 that:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (NIV).
If there is any doubt in your mind about this, it is from the enemy and is designed to keep you from your rightful place with God. Lift up the shield of faith and take the sword of truth in hand. Keep pressing on and pressing in until you reach the promised land of delighting yourself in His presence!
God is affectionate with us. Beloved, God says He “. . . cares for us affectionately and cares about us watchfully.” I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and He cares about you watchfully.”(emphasis added)
This is not the only place in the Bible where God clearly shows His affection and the depth of His love for us. As you pursue your daily personal Bible study, make note of these places and imprint them on your heart, i.e., memorize them! Some of my favorites include particular verses in Psalm 139, Psalm 136, John 3, John 14, Joshua 1, Isaiah 26, 2 Chronicles 14, and Ephesians 3. The Bible overflows with God’s love. It is, indeed, God’s love letter to us, as someone once said.
Ask, seek, and knock. If you ask, God will show you how to love Him more affectionately. It will be as individual as your fingerprints.
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. (Matthew 8:7-8, AMPC)
What about reverence? Let’s turn our attention to the word reverence. God tells us in numerous places in the Bible that we are to revere, or fear, Him. One of the best known verses is Deuteronomy 10:12:
12 “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (NASB)
Reverence means “fear, mingled with respect or esteem” (Webster’s 1828 online dictionary). Fear is a strong emotion caused by awareness that something can hurt you. We are to be aware of Who God is and treat Him with respect and admiration. And we are to do that with affection.
As I ponder this, I think of how my grandsons rough housed with their papa when they were very little. They would launch themselves at him as he sat on the couch, squealing with delight when he gently pinned them down, crowing with victory when they escaped his strong arms, then turning around and jumping on him again.
Obviously, as humans and animals alike do, they would have felt that instinctive caution upon being near a larger, manifestly stronger being. But my grandsons knew their papa as gentle, loving, and tender as well as strong and protective. They had a personal knowledge of their papa’s love and kindness.
Although my grandsons knew their papa was much stronger and bigger and that they had to do what he said, they also had experience and acquaintance with his mercy and they confidently played with him because he had always done good for them. Psalm 9:10 says something similar about the believer who understands God’s nature.
10 And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity (Psalm 9:10, AMPC, emphasis added).
How to get acquainted with Gods’ mercy, love and kindness. So, how do we get to know God well enough to be affectionately reverent? How do we acquire that experience and acquaintance with His mercy, love, and kindness? The Word tells us that God is with us when we are with Him. (2 Chronicles 15:2). The Word also promises that “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11-b, AMP).
If you ask, God will show you how being affectionate with Him looks in your life. Perhaps you could start by thinking of the person whom you most cherish and are most comfortable being with. How do you talk with them? How do you approach them? How often do you think about them during the day?
I strongly recommend reading the psalms out loud with the Lord. Read them slowly, thinking about each phrase. Read them with love in your voice. Read them realizing that God is right there with you, listening to you. Some psalms that especially address intimacy with the Lord are: Psalm 25, 63, 139, 18 and 71.
Read these and other psalms, consciously knowing that God loves you dearly, and He longs for your close fellowship with Him day by day, hour by hour. You are His treasure, and He delights in you, yes you, exactly as you are at this moment. He has written your name in the palms of His hands. He can no more forget you than a nursing mother can forget her infant. Your voice is pleasant to Him. He wants to share each moment of your life with you.
Would a mother turn away from her toddler who wants to sit in her lap and just be cuddled? Does a lover turn his face away when his beloved smiles at him?
Jesus will never, no never, reject one who comes to Him. Consider now the words of Jesus in John 6:37.
All whom My father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me] (AMPC)
Do you see how God emphasizes that He will never, no never, reject anyone who comes to Him? He says He will “most certainly no cast out” such a person. That includes you. Do you want to be closer to God? All you have to do is ask.
In Part Three, we will continue exploring 1 Corinthians 8:3, beginning with the phrase “prompt obedience.”