Steadfast, persistent and passionate!

by angiehauer · Published July 30. 2020 · Updated December 31. 2021

I looked in the Internet to find out what the world and science say about love. Under numerous entries I have found the following statements.
Love encompasses:

Joy of spending time together
Tenderness
Sense of responsibility
Strong yearning
Openness
Close emotional connection

In short this is true for me, I can confirm this after many years of marriage. If some of this is missing or only barely present in a time of crisis, it is high time to take steps towards each other. But also good times of love live from actively moving towards each other!

Not only my partner, but God wants to be actively loved too. He expresses this in the following verse and puts it above everything else:

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
Mark 12:29-30 (GW)

Head over heels, so to speak! I am to love him so that my whole being (mind, body, soul) is directed towards him. This is far more important to him than doing everything right!

It is easy for me to love my partner when I know 100% that he loves me with all his heart, that he always stands by me, protects me and is always there for me. That is, if his love is steadfast, persistent and passionate. Do you know that God’s love is steadfast, persistent and passionate? He does not do this in a fault-prone, human way, but in a divine, perfect way! Can you believe that? Can you feel that? Are you letting this touch you? In my opinion, loving God head over heels only works if I really “bathe” in his great love. When I understand how much God loves me, then I can only marvel and love him “back” with enthusiasm.

Then I also have the desire and joy to be with him, that is, to pray, read the Bible and listen to him. And the more I do this, the more I have the certainty that God’s love is really so strong, because then I feel, experience and understand God more and more. This feels so good! He is always for me! Do you know that?

To be loved unconditionally is tremendous! It has an effect on my whole life! If I feel loved by God every moment, then the second part of this verse is not always easy for me, but it becomes easier and easier:

The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Mark 12:31 (GW)

Here I am asked to love myself and my neighbor. In Christian circles, “loving oneself” is still viewed somewhat sceptically and equated with arrogance. But when self-love is paired with gratitude, arrogance isn’t an issue!  To love my neighbor without self-acceptance and self-love becomes an enormous effort. This tires and is no fun and is probably not really convincing. This means that one doesn’t go without the other!

To go through life as a person loved by God and to love him with my whole being is, in my opinion, the healthiest, most peaceful and joyful way to live. First of all for myself – but also my “neighbors” will feel it and benefit greatly from it! When I am full of love, then it can overflow to those around me, to my family, to my neighbors, to my work colleagues and even to people who are somewhat difficult…
Besides, God loves my neighbors as much as he loves me and he has made them wonderful too. This point of view also encourages me to love other people!

Do you also have times in which you succeed in putting God in the center, but unfortunately also times in which you realize that your God has somehow moved to the periphery? Then take a step towards him and read in the Gospels how Jesus lived, influenced and loved people. Your heart will open because you know that he loves you today with the same love. You also come closer to him when you admire his creation. Imagine that he created the world and the universe from nothing – down to the smallest flower. And this same God cares for you. That’s awesome!

I think to love God steadfastly, persistently and passionately becomes tangible when I understand and feel how much he loves me, how much he wants to give me and that He wants to help me.