Love embodies the nine characteristics that comprise the fruit of the Spirit. The other eight stem from love. And no wonder! “God is love” (1 John 4:8). There is no evil, no darkness, no sin found in him.
Lavish love toward God can be expressed in many ways. In the Old Testament, we are given an example of people lavishly loving God through their giving.
Exodus 36:4-7 tells us:
All the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.” Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
Imagine this kind of giving! The children of Israel had to be “restrained” when their gifts outweighed the need. I don’t recall ever hearing of that problem. Too often we look at giving in terms of how much we should or have to give instead of seeing it as a privilege.
As the early Christian church grew, when some who had property and land saw their brothers and sisters in Christ in need, they sold their land and property and put the money at the disciples’ feet (Acts 4:32-37). They weren’t forced or persuaded into giving. Their love for God motivated them to give.
It’s easy to love our lavish lifestyle at the expense of giving. When we remember that God is the giver of everything (Psalm 24:1) and that we can’t outgive the Giver (Malachi 3:10), we have little reason to hold our money and possessions with clutched hand. I have yet to suffer when spurred to generosity. In fact, I can’t think of a time I’ve missed what I’ve given to another. I do, however, vividly remember times when others have gone out of their way to be generous to me when I was in need.
Another way we can be lavish in our love for God is through our obedience. When God told Abraham to move, Abraham moved (Genesis 12:1-4). When God told Abraham to let Hagar and Ishmael go, Abraham let them go (Genesis 21:12-14). Even when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, whom he had waited for and loved, Abraham obeyed. God didn’t allow him to harm the boy and said to him, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you. . . . Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:16-18, emphasis mine).
I’m not always so obedient, and certainly not with the right attitude. Abraham didn’t wager with God. He didn’t remind God how long he waited for Isaac. Abraham obeyed. Too often I obey grudgingly. I do what I have to do because I have to do it, but I don’t hide my displeasure. Obedience to God and those he puts over us is a wonderful way to show our love to God.
Service to God is another way we show our love. Matthew reports that at Jesus’ crucifixion, “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs” (Matthew 27:55). “They followed Jesus” implies they left a myriad of other things they could have been doing to follow and care for Jesus. Their love for Jesus outweighed their love for earthly things, and they gave their effort and time to him.
I easily fall prey to distraction. I get sucked into social media or a Netflix series I shouldn’t take the time to watch. How wonderful it must have been to follow Jesus. He never fell into those traps but rather followed God’s will with unobstructed focus. I need that same focus in order to serve God to the best of my ability with the time I am given.
We can lavishly love God by living lives of continual worship and prayer like Anna. Luke tells us, “There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. . . . She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:36,37). We don’t have to live in the temple to live in continual worship. We can worship God throughout our day wherever we are. We do this when “whatever [we] do, in word or deed, [we] do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). Our lives are acts of worship when we do what we do to the best of our ability, with the strength God provides, and with our heart and mind set to honor God.
And, oh, how we need people in prayer! The apostle Paul advised, “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18).
While these efforts are unseen by the church, the effects are certainly felt. God hears and answers our prayers. In response to your prayers, he may intervene to keep a young person from straying, to keep your pastor from despair, to protect leadership from going in the wrong direction, or to provide strength to the missionary. A prayer warrior props up many frontline warriors. Their service, though unseen, is of great value and significance to the kingdom.
Whatever our expression of lavish love, God only wants us to give out of love. God does not want our gifts or service to be given under compulsion or grudgingly (see what God told Cain in Genesis 4:3-7). He doesn’t want our acts done for our own glory (see the account of Ananias and Saphira in Acts chapter 5). And obedience with a wayward heart is not obedience. Theologian Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looks at the heart, and if he sees that we serve him by compulsion, and not because we love him, he will reject our offering.”
The apostle Paul explains it this way: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). I don’t want to be a clanging cymbal.
I don’t want my works to fall flat. I certainly don’t want to have my efforts wasted. So Lord, increase my love!
Excerpt from: In God’s Orchard: Cultivating the Fruit of a Spirit-Filled Life