Love Responding To Love | 06.06.12

About a couple of days ago, I was listening to the song "How He Loves," as recorded by David & Nicole Binion along with the music ministry of Covenant Church.  During his exhortation, David Binion says, "Worship is simply love responding to love."  Now I've listened to this song a number of times over the two years I've owned this recording, but THIS TIME it stood out like never before.  My guess is because I'm getting a greater understanding of GOD's love, its significance and its power, thanks to the book I recently finished reading ("Furious Pursuit: Why GOD Will Never Let You Go" by Tim King and Frank Martin), which has phenomenally impacted my life.  (It was so good that I've consecutively read it twice and am about to read it AGAIN.)

Shortly after awaking this morning, I pondered that quote from David Binion and the Holy Spirit began to impart His insight to me as I meditated on those words.  Worship is the manifestation of our relationship with GOD.  He loves us so much that we'll literally spend the rest of our lives and all of eternity comprehending the magnitude of GOD's love.  More than anything, worship is our response to GOD's love.  The more extravagant our response to the love of GOD, the greater our comprehension of it.  Furthermore, as we mature in the depth of our comprehension of GOD's love, the more extravagant growth we'll see in our love responding to His love.

Therefore, we must examine our relationship with GOD to see wherein it's rooted.  Is our relationship with GOD rooted in fear that we could die and possibly spend eternity being tormented in hell?  Could it be that we seek a relationship with GOD because of all the blessings He promises to give us?  Or how about this: we choose to enter into a relationship with GOD because we desire to be loved unconditionally by someone who will never forsake us (even when we're wrong) and wants to love us back to life again?  Honestly, it's not hard to worship GOD when we haven't been bullied into a relationship with Him or had our affections bought.  When love responds to love, amazing things happen.  Broken hearts are made whole.  Damaged mindsets are transformed.  Shameful experiences are remembered no more.  Receiving the love of GOD frees us from the sting of everything that reminds us of how unworthy we are of it.  And that, my friends, is worth responding to.