BUT HOW CAN A CHRISTIAN LOVE GOD?
According to the Written Word of God, the Bible, there are two ways by which a Christian can show his love for the Lord:
1) To KEEP and obey His commands
2) To love the brethren, God’s people, the church
Firstly, only those who possess and know the commandments of God (God’s children/Christians), which are communicated through the Bible, can obey them. It simply goes to say that if you are not spending time in the Word, I seriously doubt if you know what God commands His children to do.
How, then, can we love the brethren, thus showing our love for God?
We love God’s people by sharing our food with our DESERVING brethren who are hungry (not those who are hungry because they are lazy); by showing hospitality and opening our homes to them; by giving clothes to brethren who need them; by visiting and taking care of them when they are sick; by visiting those brethren who are in prison for their faith.
If we are not doing these things, even if we claim to be Christians and are performing the outward ceremonies of religion, sorry to say, but before God we are not.
KEEPS (G5083) tereo: a watch; to guard (from loss or injury); keeping an eye upon
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(Mark 12:30)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
(Romans 8:28-29)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
(Ephesians 1:4-5)
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
(John 14:21)
Whoever has my commands and KEEPS them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
(Hebrews 6:10)
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
(1 John 5:2-3)
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
(Matthew 25:31-40)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
