If God is Your God

John 21:15 (CSB)

When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him.

If God is truly your God, that means you have a gift from God that is a wonderful grace that gives you the capacity to love Him more than anything else on earth. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that He loved us first, and a heart that has felt the stirring of His grace cannot help but love in return (1 John 4:19). Those who have chosen to go their own way, on the other hand, do not have this same capacity to love God. By nature, they will misuse His sacred name and even verbally deny His existence. What they have done is position themselves against God and everything that God stands for.

But if you have acknowledged with your lips and your life that God is your God, then you are under His covenant and His Kingdom rule (Rom. 10:9). The love of God permeates His Kingdom, and when you live there, it will fill your heart, and you can't help but reciprocate that love to Him. By nature, all humans naturally protect what they treasure (Matt. 6:21). If a man treasures and is driven by his lust, the moment someone challenges or disrupts those desires, his emotions will take over and he will be filled with anger. It's much like poking a beehive; when that happens, the bees come out in attack mode, ready to defend their hive. All of us, in the same way, will be stirred to defend what we love the most.

For those of us who follow Jesus, when we hear His name being disrespected or His people mistreated, our hearts should be stirred. If we lack zeal, it is simply a sign that we lack love. If we are not moved when God is slandered, it shows that our love for Him is lacking. When God is our God, he becomes our foundation, our life, our purpose, and our identity. We will see it as our highest honor to belong to Him and live in His Kingdom. No matter what our circumstances might be, we will be filled with joy and appreciation for God and our position in Christ.

Our true identity and purpose are found in our position in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). He is our source of true joy. It's a sad sight when a Jesus follower finds more identity in earthly things than in God. Jonah was very upset and distraught when he lost his gourd (Jonah 4:9–11). We do the same thing many times whenever we lose our worldly comforts. We behave as though God is not in control and is not reigning and ruling over our lives as a loving Father who is in covenant with us. But if we really trust that God is our God, then we are trusting in Him above all else. Because whatever we choose to trust in the most is our god (or God, if our trust is appropriately placed)!