My dear friend Li Fei asked me a question the other day; “how can we love God more than anything else? How do we practice this in our everyday lives?” It's funny because I have been thinking the same thing I just hadn't put it in those words. I felt like God had her ask me that question to prod me in thinking about it more fervently. I asked a few of my mentors about this question and the funny thing was is that they said they've been praying about the same thing. Isn't that ironic? Or not? 🙂
So I've pondered on this question for a couple days now. I read some verses and I've read through some devotionals. All of which seem to be leading to the same question. But the devotional I read tonight had to do with walking in peace with God and how we tend to worry about the past and the future and not live in the present. But in the present, a time that we tend to forget, is actually the only time that God walks with us. He was there with us in the past and will be there with us in the future. But He's only with us in the present and that's the only moment we can truly live in.
I think we need to start living in each moment and stop trying to control everything around us; even our relationship with our Lord. We can't change the past and we can't dictate the future. God is the only one in control and He's with us now, in the present.
If we put the effort into our relationship with God the way we put the effort into our earthly relationships I think we would start to see a lot more and understand a lot more of Him. If we took more time to be in His word the same way we take time to read text messages, emails and make phone calls to those we love; If we took the time to be in constant prayer with Him the same way we make phone calls and text the ones we love; if we replaced our thoughts with Him as much as we thought about those we love; I believe we would start to see that relationship we long for.
I think the simple answer to how do we love God more than anything else? is to actually love God more than anything else. He calls us to hold everything loosely in order that we might hold Him even more tightly.
And above all else God says ask and it will be given to you. So I feel that if we ask for that kind of love relationship with Him and we are willing to put in the work and the effort that it takes that's what He will give us.
