Expressing Love for God: Beyond Obedience to Affection

Devotional

Day 1: Love for God Requires Both Obedience and Affection

Love for God is not limited to obedience; it also involves cultivating genuine affection and emotional engagement with Him. This dual expression of love is essential for a vibrant spiritual life. Obedience is a vital component of our relationship with God, as it demonstrates our commitment to His commandments and our willingness to follow His will. However, without the warmth of affection and emotional connection, our obedience can become mechanical and devoid of true devotion. The Bible encourages us to delight in the Lord and to express our love for Him with heartfelt emotions. This combination of obedience and affection creates a dynamic and fulfilling relationship with God, one that is rich in joy and satisfaction. [02:02]

Psalm 73:25-26 (ESV): "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Reflection: Think of a time when you obeyed God but felt emotionally distant. How can you invite God into your heart today to deepen your affection for Him?

Day 2: The Command to Delight in the Lord

The Bible commands us to have affections for God, as seen in verses like Psalm 37:4, which instructs us to delight in the Lord. Obedience without affection is incomplete and contradictory. God desires not only our actions but also our hearts. When we delight in the Lord, we find joy and fulfillment in His presence, which transforms our obedience from a duty into a delight. This command to delight in God is an invitation to experience the fullness of His love and to respond with genuine affection. By cultivating a heart that delights in God, we align our emotions with our actions, creating a harmonious and authentic expression of love for Him. [05:17]

Psalm 37:4 (ESV): "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Reflection: What is one practical way you can delight in the Lord today, turning an act of obedience into an expression of love?

Day 3: Aligning Heart and Actions in Worship

Jesus warns against outward obedience without heartfelt affection, emphasizing that true worship involves both the heart and actions. This highlights the importance of aligning our emotions with our obedience. When our hearts are far from God, our worship becomes hollow and insincere. True worship is a reflection of a heart that is fully engaged with God, expressing love and devotion through both actions and emotions. By aligning our hearts with our actions, we ensure that our worship is genuine and pleasing to God. This alignment requires intentionality and a willingness to examine our hearts, inviting God to transform us from the inside out. [08:20]

Isaiah 29:13 (ESV): "And the Lord said: 'Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.'"

Reflection: Reflect on your recent acts of worship. Are there areas where your heart and actions are misaligned? How can you bring them into harmony today?

Day 4: Learning from Biblical Examples of Affectional Love

Affectional love for God is exemplified in the lives of godly individuals throughout the Bible, who express deep emotional connections with God. These examples serve as models for our own relationship with Him. The psalmists, prophets, and apostles all demonstrate a passionate love for God that goes beyond mere obedience. Their lives are marked by a deep longing for God's presence and a heartfelt devotion that inspires us to cultivate a similar affection. By studying these examples, we can learn how to express our love for God in ways that are both authentic and transformative, enriching our spiritual journey. [07:03]

Psalm 63:1 (ESV): "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

Reflection: Who is a biblical figure whose love for God inspires you? How can you emulate their affectional love in your own life today?

Day 5: The Depth of Love for God Mirrors Family Affection

Love for God should mirror the affectional love we have for our closest family members, as Jesus illustrates in Matthew 10:37. This comparison underscores the depth and intensity of the love we are called to have for God. Just as we cherish and prioritize our relationships with family, we are invited to cultivate a similar depth of love and commitment to God. This love is not superficial but is characterized by a profound emotional connection that influences every aspect of our lives. By nurturing this kind of love for God, we create a relationship that is both intimate and enduring, reflecting the true nature of our devotion to Him. [09:38]

Matthew 10:37 (ESV): "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

Reflection: Consider the love you have for your closest family members. How can you cultivate a similar depth of love and affection for God in your daily life?

Sermon Summary

In today's discussion, we delve into the profound question of how we express our love for God. Is it solely through obedience, or does it also encompass emotional and affectional expressions? This inquiry challenges us to examine the depth and authenticity of our relationship with God. The conversation begins with a listener's concern about a pastor who claims to love God only through obedience, citing biblical references like 2 John 1:6 and 1 John 5:3, which emphasize keeping God's commandments as an expression of love.

However, it's crucial to recognize that love for God is not limited to mere obedience. The Bible is replete with examples and commands that encourage us to cultivate affectional language and emotions towards God. This is not just a matter of semantics but a reflection of the heart's reality. The absence of emotional engagement with God can lead to a spiritually barren life, devoid of the joy and satisfaction that come from a heartfelt relationship with the Divine.

For those who struggle with expressing affectional love for God, it's essential to understand that the Bible commands such emotions. Scriptures like Psalm 37:4, which instructs us to "delight yourself in the Lord," highlight the importance of emotional engagement. Moreover, the Bible provides examples of godly individuals who express deep emotional connections with God, such as in Psalm 63, where the psalmist's soul thirsts for God.

Furthermore, Jesus warns against mere outward obedience without heartfelt affection, as seen in Matthew 15:8, where He criticizes those who honor God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. This underscores the necessity of aligning our emotions with our actions in our relationship with God.

Ultimately, love for God encompasses both obedience and affection. While obedience is a vital component, it is not sufficient on its own. True love for God involves a heartfelt, emotional connection that mirrors the love we have for our closest family members, as Jesus illustrates in Matthew 10:37.

Key Takeaways

1. Love for God is not limited to obedience; it also involves cultivating genuine affection and emotional engagement with Him. This dual expression of love is essential for a vibrant spiritual life. [02:02]
2. The Bible commands us to have affections for God, as seen in verses like Psalm 37:4, which instructs us to delight in the Lord. Obedience without affection is incomplete and contradictory. [05:17]
3. Jesus warns against outward obedience without heartfelt affection, emphasizing that true worship involves both the heart and actions. This highlights the importance of aligning our emotions with our obedience. [08:20]
4. Affectional love for God is exemplified in the lives of godly individuals throughout the Bible, who express deep emotional connections with God. These examples serve as models for our own relationship with Him. [07:03]
5. Love for God should mirror the affectional love we have for our closest family members, as Jesus illustrates in Matthew 10:37. This comparison underscores the depth and intensity of the love we are called to have for God. [09:38]
** [09:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:14] - The Question of Loving God
[00:29] - Obedience as Love
[01:07] - Emotional Language for God
[01:41] - Importance of Affectional Language
[02:20] - Uneasiness with Affectional Language
[02:58] - Affections and Obedience
[03:38] - The Danger of Emotional Deadness
[04:17] - Confusion About Affections
[04:52] - Obedience and Affections
[05:37] - Commands for Affections
[06:26] - Examples of Affectional Love
[07:28] - Praying for Affections
[08:20] - Jesus' Warning on Outward Obedience
[08:59] - Love Beyond Obedience
[09:38] - Affectional Love for Jesus
[10:56] - Responding to Spiritual Deadness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

2 John 1:6 - "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."
1 John 5:3 - "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome."
Psalm 37:4 - "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

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Observation Questions:

According to 2 John 1:6 and 1 John 5:3, how is love for God expressed? What role does obedience play in this expression? [00:50]
In Psalm 37:4, what is the command given to believers regarding their relationship with God? How does this relate to the concept of affectional love? [05:17]
How does the sermon describe the potential danger of having a relationship with God that is based solely on obedience without affection? [01:41]
What examples from the Bible are given in the sermon to illustrate the importance of emotional engagement with God? [07:03]

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Interpretation Questions:

How might a believer reconcile the idea of loving God through obedience with the command to delight in the Lord as seen in Psalm 37:4? [05:37]
What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between outward obedience and heartfelt affection, particularly in light of Jesus' warning in Matthew 15:8? [08:20]
How does the comparison of love for God to the love for family members in Matthew 10:37 deepen our understanding of what affectional love for God should look like? [09:38]
What might be the implications for a believer who struggles with emotional engagement in their relationship with God, according to the sermon? [02:38]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your own relationship with God. Do you find it easier to express love through obedience or through emotional engagement? How can you work on balancing both aspects? [02:02]
Psalm 37:4 encourages believers to delight in the Lord. What practical steps can you take this week to cultivate delight and joy in your relationship with God? [05:37]
Consider a time when you may have honored God with your actions but felt distant in your heart. What changes can you make to ensure your heart aligns with your actions in worship? [08:20]
The sermon mentions praying for affections if they are lacking. How can you incorporate prayers for emotional engagement with God into your daily routine? [07:46]
Jesus compares love for Him to the love we have for our closest family members. How can you deepen your affectional love for God to mirror this comparison? [09:38]
If you identify with the struggle of feeling spiritually barren, what steps can you take to seek renewal and life in your relationship with God? [02:38]
How can you support others in your small group who may be struggling with the balance between obedience and affection in their relationship with God? [03:38]

Sermon Clips

"Is it healthy to relate to God only in categories of obedience but not affections? Answer: no, it's not healthy. It's confusing at best, deadly at worst. I'll come back to that. Number two: how important is it to cultivate affectional language for God? Answer: it's very important. However, language is not the ultimate issue; the reality of our heart's affections for God is the ultimate issue." [00:01:31]

"Get over your uneasiness with affectional language because the Bible is full of it, full of it toward man and God. You're uneasy with the Bible; that's your problem. And I would say if your heart is really emotionally dead towards God, repent and cry out for life. Now we need to be careful here with our words because it may be that this pastor is not denying that he has real and strong affections for God." [00:02:33]

"If there is not even a mustard seed of delight in God, thankfulness to God, hope in God, satisfaction in God, desire for God, if none of those emotions is in his heart for God and Christ, he's not a Christian. So let me try to address both of those kinds of people at the same time: the first kind is the Christian who is confused about the affections that he genuinely has for God and simply doesn't know whether to call them love or not." [00:03:50]

"Affirming obedience and denying affections is like affirming fruit and denying apples because obedience means doing what God commands, and God commands affections. It's confusing, it's contradictory to say, 'I obey God, but I don't have any of the affections that God commands me to have.' That's just really confusing and contradictory." [00:04:44]

"Psalm 37:4 says, 'Delight yourself in the Lord.' Now that's a command. So a pastor who says he's obedient to God's commands would be obedient to the command to delight himself in the Lord. Now he might not call it love, though I think he should, but he might not, and I'll show in a minute why I think he should." [00:05:37]

"Not to have any delight in the Lord is a deadly problem. But for now, whether he calls delight in the Lord love or not, he is commanded to have delight, and it is simply confusing and contradictory to say he obeys God but does not relate to God with his emotions because those emotions are commanded, and if he doesn't have them, he's disobedient to the command." [00:06:09]

"Not only are affections for God commanded, but that way of feeling in the heart is held out to us as an example, not just a command, but an example of how godly people relate to God. For example, in Psalm 43:4, 'I go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy,' or Psalm 84:2, 'My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord.'" [00:06:47]

"We are taught to pray for those affections. This is what we ought to do if we don't have them. Psalm 90:14, 'Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love.' This is a cry to God to give us the affections for him that we ought to have and may not at the moment have." [00:07:49]

"Jesus warns against outward obedience where the heart feels nothing. Matthew 15:8, 'These people honor me with their lips'—so lips are moving, that's outward obedience—'but their heart,' he says, 'is far from me. In vain do they worship me.' So in vain, that's a big, terrible, horrible statement. Without heart, our outward obedience is nothing." [00:08:12]

"Why should we use the word love for these affections for God? Now I'm not saying that love for God is only affections. The Bible talks about love in a very broad way, but I am saying that love for God is not less than affections for God. Now why would I say that? And I'll give just one reason: because of Matthew 10:37." [00:08:59]

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Now in that sentence, love for Jesus cannot mean obedience to Jesus' commands. It cannot because he's comparing love for Jesus with love for our children. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." [00:09:23]

"We must love Jesus with the kind of love we have for our most precious family members, only more so, and that is an affectional love. So I hope the pastor who said, 'I love God by keeping his commandments, not with my affections,' will realize that God commands that we feel affections for God, and I hope that this is just a confusion of language." [00:10:05]

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Expressing Love for God: Beyond Obedience to Affection

Devotional

Day 1: Love for God Requires Both Obedience and Affection

Day 2: The Command to Delight in the Lord

Day 3: Aligning Heart and Actions in Worship

Day 4: Learning from Biblical Examples of Affectional Love

Day 5: The Depth of Love for God Mirrors Family Affection

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Expressing Love for God: Beyond Obedience to Affection

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