LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

I’m going to begin today’s commentary with where I left off on the one before (which you can read in the archive below). How do we know that we love God: love Jesus Christ? Up until two years ago, I would say that John 14:15 was my answer. Seems reasonable; however, in practice it was a very condemning answer as well. I could no longer keep the law than Saddam Hussein could love George Bush. It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying, didn’t want to, I just could not. Hello!

None of us can keep the law, be pure in thought and deed. None!

But in the last fifteen months I’ve found the answer- for me. And guess what? The law has nothing to do with it. I can say, without any self-righteousness, arrogance, or self-serving spirit that the thought(s) about obeying the law(s) or not just simply does not come to my mind. Why? I am in love!

At breakfast this morning, which occured at 11:15, since Saturday is my only sleep-in day (and what a morning to do it as well), Lyn asked me a question that helped me verbalize, formalize, what I am about to say. My passion for the past year and a half has been to KNOW JESUS! Well duh, isn’t that what I’ve always been doing as a Chrstian? Yes and No!

YES, I wanted to know facts, how to do things right, how to be a good person, and to be able to communicate like a Christian on any subject(s). I wanted the formulas. I especially wanted to know why my Southern Baptist paradigm was the only right one. How could “others” be so misled?

But NO, there was no comparison to those early years when as a teenager, one fell in love (so we thought). Remember how you’d spend hours, days on the phone talking about what? Nothing most often. It seemed as though you couldn’t get enough information from the one you loved. Tell me about this, tell me about that, and where did you do this, and what’s your favorite this and that, ad infinitum (ad nauseum). When you are IN LOVE, you are consummed with knowing every little detail about the one to whom your affections have been taken captive.

I’m afraid most Christians have been married too long!

We’ve forgotten about that first love. We’ve taken our mate for granted. Our interests are elsewhere: job, career, income, status, sports, hobbies, TV, and a cast of thousands. We know that God should be first but somehow we’ve separated God from church which makes us feel like not attending church doesn’t really matter because church should come after self, family, and job of course. Think it not strange that church attendance in America has declined for 5 decades now, nor think it odd that people are less happy or satisfied- even in light of a standard of living that’s off the charts compared to the rest of the world.

Me. Now? I can’t get enough of Him. I want to know every detail. No detail is too insignificant. How do I know I am in love with my Creator? Not because I keep His commandments, but because I can’t get enough of Him. And when the Spirit asks me about Matt. 22:37, I say I DO!

How about YOU? Can you say I DO?