Fall In Love — Over And Over Again
“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” ~ Mignon McLaughlin
Love. That is a word that is bandied around a lot. It gets used in all sorts of different ways. And in many ways, it is used incorrectly and/or inappropriately. People use the word love but mean lust. Or they use the word love but mean control. Or power. Or many other things.
Love is not a guarantee. Love is not something that can last without being nurtured. Love can be very fragile. Those are all the reasons that love must be worked at every day of our lives. That is why I often tell couples at their wedding that their marriage needs to be something that is reconstituted every day. I tell them that they are not coming to church to be married. They are coming to church to begin their marriage. That marriage must be affirmed the day of their wedding and the next day and the next year and the next decade. Each day, the couple needs to say to themselves, “I will be married again today” and make their marriage a constantly affirmed condition of life.
Just as a married couple must renew their love for one another each and every day of their lives, falling in love with the same person over and over again, so too, we must do the same with God. We must fall in love with God many times and always with God alone. Jesus warned us that we cannot serve two masters, that we cannot serve both God and mammon. There are people who say they love God but often fall in love with the lures and traps of the world. When they do, they make the world their God.
We need to keep our eyes fixed on God, our true love and true hope. If we take our eyes off of Him, we are in danger of falling in love with something else, some other cheap substitution for God. I can guarantee you that whatever or whomever it is that you substitute for God cannot assure you eternal life. Oh, they may make your life here on earth a bit glamorous or a bit fun for a while. However, the glitz and glam will soon fade and we will see them for what they really are: a distraction from the path that leads to the Kingdom.
If God is your love, do not just say it, live it. Spend time with Him. Let Him know that He matters to you. Serve Him in His poor and needy. Embrace Him. Fall in love with Him again today.
FAITH ACTION: Whatever you need to do to show God that you love Him, do it.