God's Love Is Exciting!

In the next few days for my blog, I am going to be doing some devotional/discussion question topics that I have been working on for a while now. The title of this particular little essay/devotional is: God’s Love Is Exciting! Our family’s last vacation was to Holmes County, Ohio – the largest Amish community in the world. Mom and Dad were worried that since this particular vacation spot had no theme parks or dinner shows, that I might get bored. However, I was excited and found it interesting to be in Amish country. It’s interesting how people these days are so easily bored with things, searching for happiness in one area and discarding the object or idea when they are bored with it. Today’s society wants instantaneously and on whim, throws an idea out that doesn’t fit their lifestyle or habits. Today’s society has to be entertained. The advertisement world keeps people hanging on to the every word of the infomercial and wanting whatever is being sold. The action movie keeps people on the edge of their seat, to entertained to want to watch or do anything else. These days, it isn’t just the everyday things that bore people, and not even those who are unsaved who are easily occupied with the latest attraction. Christians seem to be completely distracted with the attractions the world has to offer in the entertainment realm, whether good or bad. So much so, that God, church and devotions seem boring or a waste of time. Many kids, teens, and even adults find church to be dull and boring. Maybe they wouldn’t exactly put in those words. Maybe they have to much on their mind to concentrate on the sermon. Maybe there are distractions around them. Maybe they just seem to have the fidgets and can’t get comfortable. Maybe they’re hungry and can’t wait for service to end so they can eat. Sometimes the church services seem so long, it’s hard to endure. One of the many things I learned while in Amish country, was the order of the church services. The Amish sit through services as long as three hours on hard wooden benches. They listen to two sermons, the second of which, (the Bishop’s sermon), may last up to an hour if the Bishop so chooses. In between the sermons and songs, there are thirty to forty minute prayer times. The songs they sing are the original German hymns, written in the 1500s, and sung very slowly acapella. Did I mention that these songs can have up to thirty verses? To be truthful, the Amish have learned to be more disciplined than many “Englischers” or “modern” church-goers. Sometimes, people try to commercialize church, and use all sorts of enticing things to ensure church attendance. But God’s love shouldn’t - and doesn’t – need help to entice people! God’s love is exciting in itself. What is it, that we can become as bored with something as exciting as God’s love and the Gospel He has given us? The word “gospel” translated means “good news.” Why don’t we treat His Word and salvation like the good news that it is? The idea of Jesus dying on the cross, taking on death and all the suffering and persecution He did for our sake – that idea alone should confound us and place us in awe of the great Redeemer. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God loved us, even before we were in existence; He loved us so much, that he gave His only Son as a sacrifice for the sins we had yet to commit, that we might be able to spend eternity with Him. God also pours out many blessings on us day by day. Did you have a bed to sleep in last night? Clothes to wear the next morning? Did God provide a small blessing for you outside of your day to day blessings? Praise God! He loves you enough and cares about you enough to take care of the smallest details of your life. If God gives us so much love, thought, and care, why do we not give Him the same amount of attention? When you love someone and you devote time and energy toward your relationship, you expect them to do the same, don’t you? God loves to hear from us! He has given us so much love and devotion, yet we spend so little time with Him. Perhaps because we have become bored with our relationship with Him. However, God’s love in itself and the great gospel we have to share with others should fill our hearts with joy. Loving God and serving Him is exciting!
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 34:1
Because Your loving-kindness Is better than life, My lips shall praise you.
Psalm 63:3