How God Wants You To Love Him // Values We LIVE by [Part 1 Of 4]

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV)

Distance between us and God

1. God is high above us.  

“This is what the Lord says: Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool.’”  Isaiah 66:1 (NIV)

“For there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5 (NLT)

2. God is far away from us. 

“Don’t come any closer. You’re standing on holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 (NIV)

“But you must set a limit around Mount Sinai that the people are not to cross. Tell them not to go up on the mountain and not to touch the foot of it.” Exodus 19:12 (NCV)

“…The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” Exodus 26:33 (NIV)

“You didn’t come to Mount Sinai…You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides… You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God.” Hebs 12:18, 22-23 (MSG)

“Brothers and sisters, because of the blood of Jesus we can now confidently go into the holy place. Jesus has opened a new and living way for us to go through the curtain.” Hebrews 10:19-22 (GW)

3. God is pure. 

“To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now…” Philippians 3:8 (TPT)

Intimacy with God is like:

1. A friendship.

Jesus: “I call you my most intimate and cherished friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.” John 15:15 (TPT)

2. A relationship. 

“Our Father, who is in heaven…”  Matthew 6:9 (NIV)

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…” 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 (NLT)

3. A relationship.

“Christ gave up his life for the church to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:25-27 (NLT)

How to have closeness with God: 

• Be SLOW.

“I am humbled and quieted in your presence. I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you.” Psalm 131:2 (TPT)

• Be SINCERE. 

“Don’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and as honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” Matthew 6:6 (MSG)