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By: Amanda Frittz
Have you ever REALLY thought about the Bible in its whole context? Personally, I hadn’t until recently. See it wasn’t until this past summer that I decided to read the entire Bible. I was tired of other people telling me about God but not actually knowing his character for myself.
Now that I’m reading my Bible from front to back I’ve noticed a theme. God loves us despite our constant rejection of him, and all he wants from us is to love him back.
The Bible is actually the most beautiful love story. Our creator made us purely to love us, and our natural instinct is to deny him and serve ourselves. Yet, even despite our natural tendency to go against him, he has redeemed us through Christ and has chosen to love us.
God Uses the Bible to Invite us to Love Him Back
Deuteronomy 11:13-14 And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.
You might be like, “Amanda, why are you sharing this verse?” There are undoubtedly better verses to show the extent of God’s love (stay tuned) but for whatever reason, this verse stuck out to me and gave me this revelation. Granted, I just finished
Francis Chan always reminds me that I need to humble myself before God by his own astonishment of who God is. Seriously though, when I actually reflect on how tiny I am in comparison to God I realize I’m lacking some serious humbleness on a day to day basis. I should feel honored and amazed every second of the day for my chance to talk to God, and that’s unfortunately not always the case. It’s really easy for me to get wrapped up and prioritize what’s going on in my own life.
1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
Despite all my faults, God still loves me and just wants me to love him back just as much. I definitely do love him, but I feel sometimes my love is limited by how I was modeled
Knowing God Helps us to Love Better
Luckily, when we accept Jesus into our hearts he begins to mold us more like him. I’m constantly praying for God to soften and search my heart. Although I still can be selfish with my time, I really have gotten better at enjoying my prayers with God. I still have days where I don’t prioritize but the more I get know God the more I actually want to talk to him. This change also overflows into other relationships and makes me more caring for people.
Galations 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
It’s amazing how much God’s character and the story of his love unfolds if you read the bible yourself. Even from the beginning he had a plan and wanted to save these broken people that were denying him. He has always loved us and has always desired for us to love him back.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Don’t just take me word for it. Whip out your bible and get into the word! If you’re new to reading your bible I suggest checking out The Bible Project on YouTube. They do great breakdowns of each