RESPONSE: Do I even love God?

This is a response to a very humble and honorable question: Do I even I love God? Many ask similar questions, but are afraid to journey through an answer because of the possible outcomes. This is part of my answer…

As a Christian, I often ask myself: “am I busy being involved in ministry OR in my relationship with God?” Sometimes I think of this in terms of being in a relationship with THE CREATOR or CREATION.  I find this useful because it voices the concern in terms of God’s activity.  God himself is THE CREATOR, while everything in this world (including every system and science) is a product of God’s CREATION.  We should always focus on our relationship with THE CREATOR; however, by being involved in what God has CREATED, we support and join in God’s activity which in turn, strengthens our relationship with Him.

God, The Creator
God is our personal Creator.  When Adam and Eve were in the garden, it was clear their first priority was to obey and serve God, which is our primal definition of worship.  We were created in God’s image and likeness, and in return, we were called to obey.[i]  Our relationship with God was, and continues to be, our first priority.

God’s Creation
Adam also understood his second role ? to take care of God’s creation.  God told Adam to name the animals, have leadership among the rest of creation and to work and keep the garden.[ii]  Part of our responsibility is to take part in what God has created.

Our Journey With God in His Creation
If we continue to read scripture, we see that God created the system of ministry we serve in today.  Jesus talked about building His church,[iii] and sent the Spirit to empower the early Church for service.[iv]  Paul understood God’s creation in terms of God’s ultimate authority.  When discussing government, Paul told us to subject ourselves to their authority because God himself has appointed them.[v]  If we continue in this logic, the Church and our system of ministry has been appointed by God himself and he expects us to join in his special activity.   Furthermore, our lack of participation would symbolize our lack of involvement in Christ, since we, the Church, are in fact Christ’s body.[vi]

While God, the Creator, should always be first in our lives, being active in what God has created should be one of the ways we participate in that relationship.  That said, participating doesn’t necessarily mean you love God; rather, loving God means participating in His creation.  In order to love God, we must live lives of WORSHIP, LOVE His creation, and SERVE others as they GROW to do the same.

My prayer: May God allow you to continue to develop your understanding of your journey with Him.