Love for God is a concept for the study of which you should turn to the Bible. Since ancient times, mankind has discovered the secrets of the Holy Scriptures, finding more and more new truths. This article will analyze the concept of attitude towards God, examples from real life are given.
Disclosure of the concept of love
Love is the most sublime and precious word that can be in a human language. It conveys our relationship to concepts such as things, faces, and ideas. “Love” we can talk about paintings and apartments, cats and delicious food, music and cars.
Now in one word “love” a whole bunch of meanings is conveyed. But this is not accepted in all languages. For example, among the Greeks, one of the variants of this word is “eros” - the transmission of the concept of carnal love.
The word "filia" is characterized by manifestations of emotional attraction, characterized by sincerity, purity and devotion.
The third meaning is “agapi” - as an expression of the highest degree of attachment, spiritual manifestation of this feeling, holy love for the Creator.
As indicated in the Word of God, man has a threefold essence - body, soul and spirit. Manifestations of love are feelings of carnal, spiritual and spiritual. Consequently, the ancient Greeks optimally accurately divided the concept between the three words.
To reveal the concept of love of God, it is important to know the words from the Bible that belong to John.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your thoughts. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like her: love your neighbor as yourself.
This wonderful adage can briefly characterize what the strength of love for God should be - no less than for oneself. It is these two commandments that are destined to be fundamental.
Special love
Moreover, it is important to remember the particular relationship with the Lord. It should not turn into idol worship. Love for God allows us to ennoble, guide and warm our souls. Despite the simplicity of the commandment about Love for the Almighty, this feeling should be multifaceted. To understand this science, you need to understand a lot in order to achieve perfection.
Then the soul will be filled with this feeling, which will lead to the transformation of the being, the illumination of thoughts, the warming of the heart, the direction of the will. The Almighty must become so dear as to become the meaning of human life.
Examples of love
What it means to love God can be learned from the example of the saying of Abba Dorotheus. He compares this feeling with a large circle, the center of which is the Creator. People will be points along the radius of this circle. Then you can trace the relationship of love for the Creator and others. When the points of radius approach the center, they become closer to each other. Approaching God simultaneously means approaching people. Despite the inaccessibility of God's dwelling place for ordinary people, each of us should feel his presence. It is important for us that God be in the soul.
Another concrete example may be the feeling when we miss our beloved people, if we are forced to be far from them. Therefore, each time, finding the opportunity to speak with the Almighty, one must joyfully use it. It is not necessary to form special conditions or go to the temple for a person who loves God to communicate with his creator. This can be done while working or relaxing, at home or on the go. When you attend church, the power of such treatment increases. Since the Bible states that if two or more people have gathered to pray, the Most High will be there. With constant appeal to God, a person turns into a living temple and receives a special relationship of the Creator.
Good deeds
Examples of love for God can also be a situation where we do not want to upset the people we love. Therefore, we try to do everything to please them. So it is with the Lord — one must be afraid of him, reverence and love. Sinful acts and thoughts, non-observance of the commandments - these are the things that can offend the Creator.
Also, we can put the happiness of our loved ones above our own blessings. So for the glory of God it is important to do things and think in such a way as not to upset the Creator. Then people can enjoy the Kingdom of Good.
Features relationships with neighbors
A sermon on the love of God and neighbor contains advice that will help you to be closer to the Creator. In order to show love for the Lord, you must:
- To be modest and friendly, quiet and peaceful. This advice was given by the Monk Seraphim of Sarov.
- In relations between people there must be trust and a desire to do good for them.
- A demonstration of one’s superiority over others is not welcome.
- A compassionate attitude towards people makes a person closer to the Creator.
- The shortcomings of the neighbor should not be criticized or emphasized.
- Cleanliness of thoughts regarding other people is important.
- Patiently transferring resentment without demonstrating your true feelings will help to show love for the Creator.
- Like prayer for other people, and support for those who mourn with affectionate words.
- An open and calm statement to people of claims without a desire to offend them.
- Delicately helping so she doesn't look like a favor.
If you analyze the items listed, you can come to the conclusion that there are no difficulties in their implementation. Enough to stock up with a good mood and desire.
It is also important to remember that the commission of small acts of virtue is much more useful than large-scale things that can only ruin the situation. This advice is also found in the Bible.
Relations between the Lord and Man
The love of God descends from heaven to earth. Human love rushes from earth to heaven.
This is stated in scripture. God is called love, Christ embodies this love, the mission of the Holy Spirit is to show the power of love, the Church has the mission to be the cradle, temple, treasury and guardian of love.
God's love is spoken of in the gospel. Man must sacredly believe that God is love. And that the Creator loves each of us. He created Man with his exact copy, while showing love for his creation. Consequently, God was counting on having someone to associate with. He did so by communicating with Adam in the Garden of Eden. That was until the fall when Adam tasted the forbidden fruit. Since then, God no longer communicates directly with people.
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But in each generation there were selected people who could see and hear the Creator. They are called the righteous. Through them, other believers can learn the truths of God.
The highest degree of manifestation of God's love for man was the sacrifice when the Lord gave his son for us. An example of the death of Jesus, he showed that all Christians have a chance on Sunday. How can a man show his love for the Creator? There are ancient prayers to understand this feeling.
O loving Father in heaven! Teach me to love you with all my heart, so that love for you and for nothing temporary will fill my heart.
Teach me, God, to love you with all my will. Die in me all self-will. Help me always do only what you want and what you want.
Teach me to love You with all my heart, to fight and to kill in me unkind feelings, my own appetites, bad habits and affections.
Teach me to love You with all my mind, rejecting every other mind, other judgments and understandings that have nothing to do with Your Divine mind and revelation.
Teach me to love You with all my strength, help me strain and concentrate all my energy only in order to love as You would like me to love You.
Oh god of love! Light your unquenchable, ever-loving love of Christ in me, so that I will be what you would like to see me and do what you would like me to do.
O eternal, inexhaustible Source of Love! If only people would know You and enlighten Your love! If they could comprehend how worthy you are of our absolute love! How wonderful you are for everyone who already loves you, how strong you are for everyone who trusts in you, how ineffably sweet you are for all those who enjoy continuous communication with you; for You are the abyss of all treasures and the ocean of all blessings!
Believe in the great power of Love! Holy faith in Her cross conquering, In Her light shining radiantly. A world mired in mud and blood! - Believe in the great Power of Love!
Ways to show love for God
There are many of them. The Bible says, “Love God with all your heart.” How can one show the Creator his feelings? In order to manifest and prove his attitude towards the Creator, a person would like to see an object of love. It is quite difficult to convey your feelings to someone who is hidden from our eyes. It is also difficult to determine how genuine our feelings for God are.
It is believed that in order to convey love for the Creator, the observance of the Commandments is sufficient. This is enough, but how difficult it is to follow such requirements. The Bible indicates that it is knowledge of the commandments that affects the manifestation of the attitude towards the Lord. Accordingly, if one of the people does not try to keep the commandments, he is far from the opportunity to love the Creator. This is what Jesus says.
Not a word, but a deed
As you know, love can only be judged by actions, but not by words. If this feeling is not supported by deeds, then it will not be appreciated and accepted. Love without action is like the following: a hungry person is offered not food, but its image on paper. Or a man without clothes is not given vestments, but the promises of these vestments.
The need to prove one’s love for the Almighty by deeds lies in the words of John the Theologian. He calls on Christians to love their neighbors not with words and language, but with deeds and truth. To prove this love one must sacrifice. A truly loving person can even lose his life if such a need arises. An example of such a sacrifice is the behavior of the holy martyrs. They were able not to take pity on their own lives, if only to show fidelity to the Lord. The righteous expressed such feelings through feats and deeds, showing that they trust only in the Creator and believe only in him.
To daily confirm your feelings for the Creator, it’s enough to try not to commit sins, follow the commandments of the Lord, strive to pacify the flesh and protect it from passions and lust. This will be the best proof of devotion to the Almighty. If a person does not want to follow the commandments, he proves with every deed of God that he is ready to crucify Christ, as did not believing people.
So, through sacrifice and obedience, keeping the commandments, we can confirm that a person loves God and the Son of God. So it is said in the dictum of Basil the Great.
It may be difficult for some people to keep the commandments of the Lord. But it is important to remember that if a person performs a charitable work, it becomes simple for him. The words of the holy apostle John the Theologian say that it is keeping the commandments that is a good way to show your feelings to the Creator. Moreover, these laws are simple, and it is not difficult to implement them if a person truly believes and loves.
Highest manifestation of love
How, in addition to keeping the commandments, we can say: “I love you, Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God?” There is a more difficult way, but not everyone can do it. Martyrdom is the highest degree of love for God. Famous people who sacrificed themselves in the name of this love. They are counted as saints, and are considered elected.
If a person can truly love the Lord, he is able to know the joys of Paradise on Earth.
True love
One of the holy martyrs was the Rev. Macron. This girl wholeheartedly believed in the Creator. When the king wanted to forcibly seize her, she was not afraid to refuse him, trusting herself to the Lord. She said: “Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, may I rather go to the bottom of the sea, but I will not break your commandments!” The governor who heard this cut off the girl’s head and drowned her in the sea. But the sacrifice of Macron did not pass without a trace. The girl was counted among the holy martyrs. Her feat is now an example of true faith in the Lord.
To summarize
"God is love". This is what the Bible says. This great feeling is capable of performing real miracles. If a person seeks to show his love, he is ready to sacrifice everything that he has.
How should people love their Creator? The answer to this question will also be the text of the Bible. It says that people should love the Creator as much as themselves. Just as it is easy for a lover to do things in the name of the object of adoration, so people will simply follow the commandments indicated in the Bible. Those who violate the laws of the Holy Scriptures are like the people who crucified Jesus. In order not to crucify God's Son in us, we must try to be faithful to his commandments. Then the bliss of Earth Paradise will be revealed to man.
The highest degree of manifestation of love for the creator is the ability to sacrifice life for him. Such people are counted among the Saints, calling them martyrs.
The Bible Book contains all the truths about the relationship between man and the Creator. Studying her secrets is an activity that will bring valuable fruits of reason and wisdom. People must communicate with the Creator, since he created them like himself. The Lord is open to conversation with man. Having set an example of the highest love when he gave his son for people, the Creator expects us to observe simple biblical commandments, which not everyone manages to fulfill. Thus, believers demonstrate their love for God, daily confirming it with good deeds.