"The impulse that drives the life of the believer isn't the need to perform for God but to commune with Him." ~Face-To-Face with God, Paul Johnson, pg 3 para 2, 2007, Charisma House, Lake Mary, Florida, USA
What is that we do for those that we love? Do we do it out of "need" to perform, or because we want to be with them---or, at the very least, because we want to take care of them?
We in general appear to "perform" for people that we need to impress---first dates, new jobs and bosses, or acquaintances possibly.
We rarely perform for those we love, but act, instead, in an example of our love. We do things to bring them joy: attending our 2nd grader's dance recital; helping our husband as he fixes his pride and joy of a car by pushing the brake in and out for some unknown but apparently useful reason; taking our mother shopping; helping a dear friend with an emotional crisis.
We do something! We do something because we love, honor and care for this person. We are not putting on a "performance" to impress them, because we know they love us already. There is no need to perform, we are theirs, they have accepted us, they are ours.
And yet others see this love, they hear of it---their children speak of how you saw the play, people see you helping your spouse, people hear the tone of voice and the words you use towards your friends, and family. All those people, strangers included, see the example of your love for different groups of people.
"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings." Hos 6.6 NIV
"Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, on view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God---this is a spiritual act of
worship." Rm 12.1 NIV
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3.16 NIV
Look, see how God loves us? A love beyond what we can understand really--dying for us before we even had a glimmer of knowing Him. He continues to help us, communing with us by His Spirit, lending us His peace, strength, joy. He loves us more than we can comprehend. We need not impress Him! He already loves us!
When we love God we do something for Him; we live in a different manner than the world. Walking soundly with God, communing with Him so that He is what drives the day, makes us stand out to others in the world.We worship God by our actions because we are so deeply involved in Him.
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