What Does It Mean To Love God?
How may we know whether we love God?
(1) He who loves God desires his presence.
Lovers cannot be long asunder, they soon have their fainting fits, for lack of a sight of the object of their love. A soul deeply in love with God desires the enjoyment of him in his ordinances, in Word, prayer, and sacraments. David was ready to faint away and die when he had not a sight of God. “My soul faints for God.” Psalm 84:2. Such as care not for ordinances plainly manifest lack of love to God.
(2) He who loves God, does not love sin.
“You who love the Lord, hate evil.” Psalm 97:10. The love of God, and the love of sin, can no more mix together than iron and clay. Every sin loved, strikes at the being of God. He who loves God, has an antipathy against sin. He who would part two lovers is a hateful person. God and the believing soul are two lovers; sin parts between them, therefore the soul is implacably set against it. By this try your love to God. How could Delilah say she loved Samson, when she entertained correspondence with the Philistines, who were his mortal enemies? How can he say he loves God who loves sin, which is God’s enemy?
(3) He who loves God is not much in love with anything else.
His love is very cool to worldly things. His love to God moves swiftly, as the sun in the sky; to the world it moves slowly, as the sun on the dial. The love of the world eats out the heart of piety; it chokes holy affections, as earth puts out the fire. The world was a dead thing to Paul. “The world is crucified unto me and I to the world.” Gal 6:14. In Paul we may see both the picture and pattern of a mortified man. He who loves God – uses the world but chooses God. The world is his pension – but God is his portion. Psalm 119:57. The world engages him – but God delights and satisfies him. He says as David, “God, my exceeding joy,” Psalm 43:4. That is, “God is cream of my joy!”
– Thomas Watson (1620–1686) – an English, Nonconformist, Puritan preacher and author.
(… to be continued next week, DV)