The Real Question...

God love you....just the way you are.  It's true.  He loves you when you hit snooze on your alarm clock rather than get out of bed and spend that time with Him.  He loves you when you choose to tell that "little white" lie rather than face the consequences of your actions.  He loves you when react in anger to a loved one, or turn a blind eye to the person on the side of the road that has obviously had better days.  He truly does love you in spite of all you do.  (Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:19, Lamentations 3:22-23)

The real questions, is do you love Him?  Think about it, when you love someone you are eager to show them you love them by adjusting your life to make them happy.  You cook a special meal, you watch sports that you don't really like, you change your schedule, your life to make them feel special.  And then there is God.  He will understand that you broke your date to chat with Him....again.  You can apologize later for the lie and He will let it go because it kept you out of a little hot water and after all, He loves ya.....right?  See a problem here?

Yes, God absolutely, whole-heartedly loves you so much that He sacrificed everything  for you.  But remember, we were created in His image.  You know that feeling you get when the person you love gets wrapped up in something other than you and forgets to call?  Or when you and your best friend get in a fight?  Now remember we were created in His image....He gets those feelings too when we hurt Him.  And it does hurt Him.  (Psalm 95:10, Genesis 6:5-6)

All those "rules" you think we are supposed to be following because God said so, aren't really rules so much.  Think of them more as an inside scoop on what makes your beloved happy.  If you were dating someone and came across a letter that told you exactly what made him or her happy and what didn't, wouldn't you do your best to adjust your actions based upon that letter?  Especially when you had already been shown how madly that person is in love with you?  THAT my friend is what the Bible is all about.

Open yours to just about any page and you will find a revelation of God.  What He likes, what He doesn't.  Take the time to deepen your relationship with Him, to love Him back.  Make Him a priority  in your life (for the first time, for the 100th time-it doesn't matter!).  He longs for you to reciprocate His love.  When we view our relationship with Him as just that, a relationship, it becomes much easier to choose to do the right thing.

*originally published at Coffee with Christ