...Rich toward God. Luke 12:21
We're supposed to offer God our acts of service, but the gift He desires most is us. Think of Jesus' last conversation with His friend Peter. Peter was so human: he followed Jesus, learned from Him, served Him, doubted Him, misunderstood Him, praised Him and denied Him. Yet Jesus' final question to His friend was relational: 'Peter, do you love Me?' Three times He asked Peter that question. St. Augustine said all ethics could be summed up in this: 'Love God, and do what you will,' for when you love God you'll want to do what God loves. Though flawed like the Psalmist, you can say, 'I delight to do Your will, O my God...' (Psalm 40:8 NKJV). God created us so that He could be with us. In Eden He came and walked with the man and woman He had made, just to be with them. When He formed the nation of Israel He said, 'I will walk among you and be your God...' (Leviticus 26:12 NKJV). Heaven announced the birth of Jesus, '...they shall call His name "Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us"' (Matthew 1:23 NKJV). It's as if God says each morning, 'I'd like to spend this day with you.' One author writes: 'I can't make myself love God, but I can come to know Him better. And because God is love, the more I come to know Him, the more my love for Him will grow. Love is a by-product of knowing. So I can spend this day loving God. And tomorrow I can seek to love Him a little more.' That's what it means to be 'rich towards God.'
UCB WORD FOR TODAY-7Nov09