How Do You Love God?
by Kristin Wenck
Many of us know the joys and woes of toddler years with children. The day they begin to push your hand away and say that they can do it by themselves. And they do it by themselves. The result is disastrous—the buttons are mismatched, the shoes so knotted it seems easier to buy a new pair than attempt to unravel the laces. And yet there they are, smiling up at you, waiting for approval. What do you do? There are many Christians today who still act like toddlers—wanting to do it by themselves, refusing all help offered to them, and making life a mess. They wait for God to show His approval for what they have done by healing this, fixing that, giving them something they want, or just changing something in their lives. What does God do? He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6, I Peter 5:5).
Proud Christians are just like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. The Bible tells us in Luke 7 about a time that Jesus went to dinner at the house of a Pharisee. He did not offer Him the common courtesies of the day—a foot bath, a kiss of greeting. It seems he invited Jesus there for his own purposes, but he did not have enough respect for Jesus to do even what was required for a guest. Then a woman came in, a known sinner, and bathed his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and kissed them. Simon was disgusted by her love for Jesus (she was doing something that he ought to have done, albeit differently) and figured that if Jesus was really a prophet He wouldn’t let that sinner touch Him. Jesus told him a story about 2 people who owed money, ending with “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Simon was very proud of the way he kept the law, studied the scriptures, gave his tithe and did what was “required”, but he was so busy working for God that there was no room for God in his life! The woman, on the other hand, had not bothered to know God’s law or follow it, but she recognized God when He came and let Him change her.
Simon was familiar with God, but he “loved little”. He wanted to live life his own way, and placate God into getting the rewards he felt he was owed for his service. The woman didn’t know God’s law, but she loved Him a lot, and I am sure that she lived differently after that day. What a joy it is when children will turn to us for help, and what a sorrow it is when they choose to do things their own way and throw temper tantrums when it doesn’t work out. I am sure it is the same for God.
God wants to help us, but we need to be humble enough to ask and receive His counsel. We need to recognize our need for Him—before things become a disaster. Remember the story of the crossing of the Sea of Galilee when the storm came up? The disciples tried to take care of things themselves, while He slept in the boat. I am sure they thought they were helping Him by letting Him rest after His long days and nights. They waited until the boat was filling with water, probably waiting for the wet to wake Him, so they wouldn’t have to. But it didn’t. When they woke Him up, they didn’t ask Him for help. They asked Him, “Don’t you care that we are going to die?” And He rose and stopped the storm. I think from that question we can say they had been expecting Him to get up and do something about the storm without being asked. Many times toddlers will turn in disappointment and say “Why won’t you help me?” The answer is simple—“You didn’t ask”.
In James 4, the Bible says that there are 2 ways that toddler-like pride makes a mess in our lives: either we won’t ask for help (like the disciples), or we ask with wrong motives—we want the situation to be changed so that we can go on doing things our way (like Simon). His answer: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. . . . .Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
The story of the storm wouldn’t have made it into the Bible if Jesus had heard the wind and rebuked it before the waves started so that He could lie down and sleep. The disciples wouldn’t have known His protection and care in the same way. He who is forgiven much, loves much; he who is forgiven little, loves little. The difference between Simon and the woman was not the number of sinful acts committed, though Simon in his pride wanted to believe it was. The difference was that the woman humbled herself and allowed God to work in her life to make a big change: she had a great love for God. Simon did not want to allow God or the revelation of Jesus to change his life: he loved little. The great struggle that begins in the toddler years is the struggle to stop making life about you, the struggle to get rid of pride so that you are able receive grace from God, and ultimately receive his approval at the judgment seat for neatly tied shoe laces (AKA for finishing your race well)!
