How far can you go to prove your love for God?

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Really, how far can you go? What crazy thing(s) can you do to prove how much you love...? Do you even really love Him?

You know, He already went to great lengths to prove He loves you... He died a painful death - on the cross! What length can you go to show you love Him in return?

Just to prove you love Him, can you...?
Jump off a high mountain?
Swim the depths of the oceans...?
Dive from a moving plane... without parachute...?
Feed hundreds of people...?
Go on without eating for weeks...?
Evangelise a whole city...? Or even a whole country...?
Give away all the money you own or will ever make...?
Pray 12 hours or more each day...everyday...?
Read the Bible every 2 hours...everyday...?
Give your life...?
Or do some other 'crazy' thing...?

How far, really, are you willing and ready to go to prove how much you love... your creator... your life giver... you sustainer... your source... your provider... your strength... your protector... your potter... your saviour... your Lord... your king... your father... your everything... How far...?

You know what, He doesn't expect or desire you do crazy or extreme things to prove your love for Him... He doesn't require or request any of the extremes above or similar, no! You don't have to do anything crazy or extreme or unusual or unthinkable to prove how much you love God...


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All you really have to do? Keep His commandments... Here's Jesus speaking:
"If you love Me, keep My commandments... He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him... If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me." - John 14:15,21.

What is His commandment? Love!
"...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... And the second is like it: "You shall LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOURS AS YOURSELF." - Matthew 22:37-39.

Again, He says...
"A new commandment I give to you, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER; as I have loved you, that you also LOVE ONE ANOTHER. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER." - John 13:34.

All God expects of us is that we love Him and love the next person. John reiterates it in his epistle:

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE BRETHEN. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment." (1 John 3:16-23).

So, brother, sister, we don't need to do anything extreme, crazy, rash, unprecedented, or unimaginable to prove how much we love God other than show some love... to that neighbour that seems to always cause trouble...
to that guy in the neighbourhood that no one wants to associate with
to that lady that's always dressed "indecently", and looks "wild"...

Love - that's what Jesus did. That's what He preached. That's all He expects of us. That's His commandment. That's how you prove you love God.