Expressing Your Love For God

There is an old gospel song that Rod Stewart sang about 10 years ago on MTV Unplugged. It goes like this: "Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you, there’s no one else above you? You fill my heart with gladness. Take away all my sadness. Ease my troubles. That’s what you do." And he sings the song with so much passion. And love. That when he’s done, he has to wipe the tears from his eyes.

The song connected with the public because of its heartfelt expression of love and devotion. That’s the kind of message we have here in Psalm 116. In fact, the Jews sing this psalm at the dinner table every year on the first night of Passover. We did this when I was a kid. First we sing Psalms 113, 114, and 115. Then you eat! Then you lean back in your chairs. And relax. And talk about the good old days when God delivered us out of slavery in Egypt. Then we sing Psalm 116 to the Lord: "I love the Lord, for he hears my voice. I love the Lord, for he hears my cry. I love the Lord for he hears my prayer. Turning his ear, always to me. Turning his ear always to me."

The whole psalm is an expression of love of gratitude to God. The writer is saying, "I love the Lord. Because he took time for me. He didn’t blow me off. He didn’t treat me like a second class citizen. He saved me from the living hell that my life had become. He saved me in every way a person can be saved. And because he is so compassionate and loving and good to me, I will serve Him for the rest of my life!"

It’s hard to find a more tender expression of affection than the 116th Psalm. The only thing in the New Testament that comes close is John 21. Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you really love me?"

And Peter said, "Lord, it hurts that you’re even asking me that question. I know I let you down. I cut off a man’s ear. I denied you three times. But Lord, you know my heart! You know that deep down, I’m not really like that! That’s not who I am! You know all things! You know that I love you! I’m not lying!"

And Jesus says, "Then PROVE IT! Feed my sheep! Take care of my lambs! Don’t just tell me you love me! Show me that you love me by the way you live your everyday life."

At Chilton Village, there’s a resident there who has Alzheimer’s disease. And I noticed that every day at lunch time, there was this lady who would help him eat his food. She talked to him. She wiped his chin. She cleaned off the table. And I was impressed by how caring a staff person she seemed to be. And so I said, "I can tell you really care about your patient. I see you helping him eat every day."

And she said, "He’s not my patient. He’s my husband."

I never actually heard her say the words, ’I love you.’ But she demonstrated her love every single day. In the way she tended to her ailing husband. Even though he could no longer be at home with her. She brought a little bit of home to him.

It’s one thing to express love to someone you can touch. See. And feel. But how do you express love for someone you CAN’T touch or see or feel? How can we show the invisible, Almighty God that we really love Him? That’s what the writer of Psalm 116 is concerned about. In verse 12, he says "How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? How can I show him how much He means to me?" The first thing we should do is to talk to God. Every day.

When Jeanne and I first started dating, we used to talk late into the night. On our second date, we came back from supper. And sat in her car outside the old parsonage. Turned off the lights so that we wouldn’t keep Jerry and Darlene up. And we talked until 3 in the morning. In fact, that was typical of the whole time we dated. There were a lot of times where we just sat on the living room floor and talked until the wee hours. You know why? Because we wanted to build our relationship on something deeper than physical involvement. Something far more intimate than physical love.

And that’s the kind of relationship God wants with us. He wants us to go beyond the superficial. He’s not only interested in your wish list. He’s interested in your companionship. Your trust. And your love. In Psalm 116, the writer senses this. And that’s why he says in verse 2: "I will call on Him as long as I live!" And Ephesians 6:17 says, "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions."

By the way, when I sit down in the office to say my prayers, before I ask for anything, the first thing I do is to tell God how much I love Him. I love Him for who He is. I love Him for how he watches over me. For all the blessings He gives me. But the greatest blessing of them all is the blessing of having Him in my life. And that’s what I tell Him. I talk to Him in plain English. Just like that. I encourage you to do the same thing.

We should also express our love for God by living for God. When Jeanne and I got married 5 years ago, I made promises before almighty God. To love her. To honor her. And to be faithful to her as long as I live. That’s what the writer of Psalm 116 is saying about his relationship to God. Two times, he says "I will fulfill all my vows to the Lord. I want everyone to know that I am a man of my word! I am going to be his servant forever. I want the whole world to know that I am going to live the rest of my life for God!"

There’s an old story about St Augustine. Early on in his Christian life, he was intensely absorbed in the writings of Cicero. And around this time, he had a dream that he had died. And now he was standing at the pearly gates. And the keeper of the gate said, "Who are you?"

And he said, "I’m Augustine."

Then the keeper said, "What are you?"

Augustine said, "I’m a Christian."

The gatekeeper said, "No, you’re not a Christian. You’re a Ciceronian!"

Augustine said, "What are you talking about? I’m a Christian!"

And the gatekeeper said this: "All souls on earth are judged by what dominated their interests. In you, Augustine, it was not the Christ of the gospel. It was the Cicero of Roman literature. You are not a Christian. You cannot enter here!"

Augustine was so startled that when he woke up, he resolved then and there to be fully committed to Jesus Christ for the rest of his life. And to live for Him.

That’s what the Bible says we’re supposed to do. Colossians 2:6 says "Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him." What concerns me is that sometimes I see people accepting Christ as their Savior. But their way of life doesn’t change. They honor the Lord with their lips on Sunday. But their hearts are far from Him the rest of the week. They still love the world way too much! Saying that you love God is a wonderful thing. But by itself, it is not enough. James 2:17 says "faith, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead! Simply saying, "I love you, Lord. And I lift my voice to worship you, o my soul," is not enough. Saying, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name," is not enough. Matthew 7:21 says "Not everyone who says to me ’Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

So express our love for God, we must talk to God. Live for God. And number three: Serve God. Verse 16 says, "O Lord, Truly I am your servant. The son of your maidservant." One the best ways we can show our love for God is to serve him wholeheartedly.

I read a story about a lady named Ruth. One day, she went to her mail box and there was only one letter. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. And this is what it said:

Dear Ruth,

I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer."

With that thought, Ruth said to herself, "Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.

"Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nevertheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

Then she noticed a man and a woman huddled in the alleyway. And one of them said, "Lady, can you help us?" I don’t have a job, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street. And now it’s getting cold. And we’re getting hungry."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty. They smelled bad. But she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

And so she said, "Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a twinge in her heart.

And she said, "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.

And they both said, "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"

And then, Ruth noticed that the man’s wife was shivering.

And so she said, "You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders.

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

"That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it. And this is what it said:

Dear Ruth,

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always, Jesus

Matthew 25:40 says that "whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you’ve done it to me." The woman didn’t realize it at the time. But by serving two needy people in the back alleys of Chicago, she was serving Christ. By showing them love, she was showing God love.

I want to ask you this morning, "Do you love the Lord? Is it evident in the way you live your life? Is it reflected in your giving? A lot of people say they love Jesus. But like with St Augustine, when you look into their lives, it’s easy to see that they love other things more. Themselves. Their careers. Their hobbies. Matthew 6:24 says that "You can’t serve two masters." You have to make a decision. The Christian singer Steve Camp has a song called "The Gospel According to Jesus." And this what the chorus says:

To love Him more than father or mother.

To love him more than your own flesh.

To give all that you are for all that He is,

This is the Gospel According to Jesus

Make the right choice. And receive Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Savior. Say, "Your the Lord. Not me. Not my job. Not my ambitions. Only you."