The true love of God
I will certainly say to Jehovah: "You are my refuge and my stronghold, my God, in whom I will truly trust.
(Psalm 91: 2)
Jehovah, the Creator and Sovereign of the universe, can be our refuge. What a blessing! He is much more powerful than any person or thing that threatens us. And even if we are hurt, Jehovah can repair all the damage we receive. How will we make Jehovah our refuge? Trusting him. In addition, the Bible makes this invitation to us: "Keep yourselves in the love of God."
Reflect on the love that God has for you and correspond.
Jehovah has shown us his love in various ways. Let's see what they are, as reviewing them will help us to remain in God's love. Think of some biblical teachings you have learned in this book. For example, for us to enjoy life, the Creator has given us an extraordinary home, the Earth, where there is an abundance of food, water, natural resources, fascinating animals and beautiful landscapes. We also know that God is the Author of the Bible, in which he tells us what his name is and what qualities he has. The Scriptures explain that he sent his beloved Son to Earth and that he allowed him to suffer and die for us.
In this way he gave us a very generous gift, thanks to which we have the hope of a magnificent future.
This future also depends on something else that God has done. Jehovah has established a heavenly government, the Messianic Kingdom. This Kingdom will soon end all our sufferings and turn the Earth into a paradise. Wonderful! At last we will be happy and we will live forever in peace!
(Psalm 37:29.)
And now, while we wait for that day, God's counsel helps us to live in the best possible way. Jehovah has also given us another gift: prayer, which allows us to freely communicate with him. These are just a few tests of the love that God feels for you and the rest of humanity.
Now, you must ask yourself an important question: "How will I respond to Jehovah's love?" Probably, many people will answer: "Loving Jehovah." Do you think so? Jesus said that the greatest commandment is this: "You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
(Matthew 22:37)
Without a doubt, you have many reasons to love Jehovah. Now, to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, is it enough to have affection?
The Bible shows that loving God means much more than feeling affection for him. In fact, although that feeling is very important, it is only the beginning of true love of God. To understand it better, let's look at the following comparison: if you wanted an apple, would you settle for being given a seed of that fruit? Of course not. It is true that the seed is essential for an apple tree to grow, but what you want is the fruit. The same thing happens with the affection we feel for Jehovah: like the seed, it has to develop and bear fruit. The Bible teaches: "This is what the love of God means: that we observe his commandments, and yet his commandments are not burdensome", that is, they are not a burden.
Get closer to Jehovah
Knowing Jehovah well is an important step to get closer to him. It is a process that should never end. Imagine that you are in the bush, on a very cold night, and that you have lit a bonfire to warm yourself. Would you let the flames go away little by little? No way. Surely he would be adding firewood to keep the fire burning, since his own life depends on it. Well, just as firewood fuels fire, the "knowledge of God" keeps alive the love we feel for Jehovah.
(Proverbs 2: 1-5)
The love of Jehovah is like a fire: you have to feed it so that it does not go out.
Jesus wanted his followers to keep their love for Jehovah and his wonderful Word of truth very much alive. After his resurrection he explained to some of his disciples some prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures that he had fulfilled. What effect did that have? Later, the disciples said: "Did not our heart burn when he came speaking to us on the way, when he was completely opening [the meaning of] the Scriptures?"
(Luke 24:32)
When you were learning what the Bible really teaches, did not your heart burn with joy, enthusiasm and love for God? Surely yes. The same has happened to many. The difficult thing now is to keep that love alive and make it grow. We do not want to follow the tendency that Jesus predicted there would be in the world today: "Love will grow cold for the most part".
How can you keep the love you feel for Jehovah and the truths of the Bible from getting cold?
Continue to acquire knowledge of Jehovah God and of Jesus Christ.
(John 17: 3)
Think carefully about what you read in the Word of God and ask yourself: "What does this teach me about Jehovah? Does it give me any reason to love him with all my heart, mind and soul?"
(1 Timothy 4:15)
If you reflect in this way, your love for Jehovah will never be quenched.
Another way to keep Jehovah's love alive is by praying regularly.
(1 Thessalonians 5:17)
We have already seen that prayer is a precious gift from God. Relations with our peers are narrowed by communicating with them frequently and sincerely. In the same way, our relationship with Jehovah will be alive if we pray to him constantly. We must strive not to make mechanical prayers; we do not want to repeat the same thing without thinking about what we say. We must speak to Jehovah as a child would speak to his beloved father. Of course, we want to address him with respect, but openly and sincerely, from the heart.
(Psalm 62: 8)
That's right, to worship God it is very important that we have a personal study of the Bible and that we pray to him frankly. In this way it will be easier for us to remain in the love of God.
