Do you love God?

Seems like that question would have an obvious answer, right?  We'd all answer, "Yes, of course we love God!"

But that is the problem.  Frederick Buechner writes, "We have heard the words so often that we no longer hear them. They are too loud to hear, too big to take in.  We know the words so much by heart that we scarcely know them any longer as words spoken to the heart out of a mystery beyond all knowing."  In the book Serious Times, our own Pastor Jim White goes on to write, "But it runs deeper - we have made love for God tame.  An intimate relationship with God has become something subtly woven into the deepest recesses of our private life instead of a reckless love bursting out of the seams of our soul, exploding into the world around us."

After the week we spent in the UK there have been a lot of things...thoughts...feelings...convictions... that I have not been able to escape and to be perfectly honest, I hope not to escape them any time soon.  One of the things I felt impressed to do while in the UK was again read Jim's book Serious Times.  It was easy to read and be challenged by it's words yet again when we were in a country that is only 7% churched.  It was easy to point to this book and it's words and the words of scripture to challenge church leaders and pastors to claim their country for Christ.  But then it hit me - my own country is lost and wandering in the dark too.  The religion of 'none' is one of the fastest growing in my own backyard and I have an opportunity to be the light in the darkness everywhere I turn...am I?   Is my love for God 'bursting out of the seams' and 'exploding into the world' around me?  Or is my love for God 'tame'? 

There is a haunting section in Jim's book...haunting in that it's too often true of me when I'm willing to be that honest. See if you can relate...

"The impact of most Christ followers on this world is minimal because the degree to which we seek intimacy with Christ is minimal.  When there is little that reflects a relationship with Christ in us, we have little of Christ to offer...

...We focus on religion instead of relationship.  Practice instead of passion.  Such a life - not rooted in an authentic relationship with God, full of rhetoric and posturing, form and mannerism - is all but empty.  We become people possessed with knowledge 'about' as opposed to an acquaintance 'with.'  But only intimate relationship with the living God leads to true spirituality.  And only true spirituality can affect the world."

Do you want to change the world friends?  As Christ followers we don't have a choice - those are our marching orders from Christ himself.

So - the opening question again...

Friends, do you love God?