July 26, 2024 Devo

That seems like such a simple statement. But it’s not. It’s actually quite powerful and profound. It’s like when you get married and say, “I do.” It means you WILL. Not just for the wedding day, not just for the honeymoon, and not just for the first few months of your new life together. To say, “I do,” means you will learn about your spouse every day for the rest of your life and constantly adjust your life to show them that love. I know what many of you are thinking. You’re thinking that you wish someone would have told you that before you said it! Don’t we all? What most of us learned the hard way is that marriage is more than a beautiful day with flowers and presents, friends and laughter, and food and cake, all topped off with a week away for a honeymoon. It’s learning how to love another person. It’s about trying to please them. It’s about finding out what you do that’s annoying and to stop doing it. It’s about discovering how truly self-centered you are and to stop being that. It’s about learning what makes the heart of your spouse soar and to try to do THAT! At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.
It’s the same with Jesus. When most of us come to Christ, it’s about all the “perks.” Forgiveness of our past. Joy in our hearts. Hugs from other believers, baptism celebration with cheering, and wonderful church pot-luck dinners. But few of us were told when we commit our lives to Christ that it is also about learning to return love to Him. It’s about learning what we do that’s not really appropriate as a believer. It’s changing the way we talk to people. It’s about changing the way we talk ABOUT people. It’s about getting rid of habits, attitudes, and things that are offensive to Jesus. It’s about learning what makes His Heart soar and trying to do THOSE things! Making a “decision” for Jesus is way more than just making a decision. It’s about making a commitment to a relationship. It’s much like getting married. There’s a whole lot of adjusting along the way.
Oh, Jesus is patient with us. He knows that all of this is new to us and that we have a lot to learn about being in love with him. In fact, unlike marriage, He actually gives us a manual, so we can learn what we need to learn along the way. It’s called The Bible. He didn’t give us His Word to show us how we’re missing the mark with Him. He gave it to us so we could learn how to love Him like we really want to love Him—with all our hearts.
I thought this might be helpful for those of us who maybe have had God point out something that’s not quite right. Sometimes we get mad or frustrated when He does that and feel as if we’re never going to get it right. But His goal is simply to help us KNOW Him more. That way, we can love Him more. After 48 years of marriage, I KNOW my wife. I’ve learned a lot about what sets her off and what makes her happy. I still don’t do it perfectly, but I’m a whole lot better than I used to be. Sometimes I do things just because I know she likes me to do them. I’ve learned to do the same with Jesus. “Obeying” is just a whole lot easier for me when I realize it’s simply a way of saying, “I love you.” That’s God’s Word for you today.