Do we REALLY love God?

I ask this question sincerely.  There are many among us, I find, and I'm just making observations not pointing fingers, that like the idea of God but don't really know what he's about.   God is infinite, loving and merciful but he's SO much more than that.  I am of the strong conviction that if we haven't either had direct conversational contact with God or read the Bible in it's entirety we don't really know God at all.  I don't care how many church services you've attended.  God does't count how many times you've been to church, he counts how earnest our desire to know the real him.  God desires our interest.  He honors our effort.  If you are of this world and have worldy belief systems you might never read this:

 You adulturous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God?  Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

  James 4:4

  

  How many people do we know who claim Christ, yet act exactly like the world?  Dress like the world, look like the world, have the same ideologies, same jobs, do the same things for fun, sin the same way behind closed curtains, educate the same way, eat the same way, drink the same way, same motivations, same celebrations... see what I'm saying here? Same everything.  God said love your neighbor, but don't be like them!  Remember this, God has a law.  The punishment for breaking the law has changed (for authentic seekers who repent) but the law remains the law. Some might argue "but Jesus hung out with drunks and prostitutes".  Here's the thing, Jesus was about to get tortured in the most inhumane way possible, then descend into the pits of hell to loose the chains of the imprisoned.  He wasn't hanging out in bars and chit chatting with prostitutes. He was there to turn hard core sinners away from their sins.  The problem with people today is they don't believe in sins anymore.  Everything is permissable and good (through worldly eyes)).  I am NOT saying that we need to hold others accountable for their sins (people have been doing that in the name of religion for centuries, and distorting the image of Christianity in the process), but we need to be aware of and hold OURSELVES accountable.  We need to become aware of the ways that WE are like the world and in being like the world, sin.  We need to ask is that right by God's standards?  The ONLY way to know that is to read his word for ourselves.  Nobody else can answer that for us.  

  A couple of years ago I joined a facebook group called  The Christian Left.  Things about the Christian Right were a major hurdle to my stepping out in faith.  I needed something I could relate to as a more liberal minded person.  The Christian Left seemed like the perfect cushion to ease my transition.  People who felt like me about--- and ---.   Well here I am two or three years later realizing the Christian Left is just as crazy as the Right.  Have ANY of them actually read the Bible?!?  The Left spends all of their energy hating on the Right and defending ALL the the sins of the world, making Jesus out to be some sin loving, anything goes liberal.   Are they insane?  The Right are haters in their own right, nationalist war mongers who would like to have gays and migrants exterminated from the  face of the planet.  They proudly eat at Slaughterhouse-fi-let and wear guns and the national anthem in their underwear;-)  I am in awe at all of these people who CLAIM Christ!  God says, you will NOT mock me.  He means what he says.  I cannot express that loudly enough.  God doesn't change for us.  We change for God.  And we change, and change and continue to change until we are molded into an image that is actually Christ-like.  Are you Christ-like now?  No, you are changing, but only if you are reading and asking to be changed.  A submissive spirit is essential.  The "world" hates that idea. 

  Faith is the belief in God.  Pride is the belief in self.

 Judging by worldly people that I know, the spirit of pride and arrogance that defines them, Jesus would easily be crucified again if he were here in the flesh today.  That is how far from the truth we are as a society.  The question remains... do we really love God?  Or do we even know him?   I was just reading this post (from the Christian Left) about how the Christian Right demonized Katy Perry's performance at the superbowl.  The auther says "Whatever Jesus didn’t like about the heart and fire and passion behind your performance at half-time, I don’t like that Jesus*."  Wow!  Let me first clarify that I did not watch the superbowl, nor do I listen to, buy into or support pop music culture, especially when the "artist's" lyrics are superficial worldly jargon and their performances are little less than a strip tease.  I think it's erroneous the way girls dress and act these days like common *bleeps*.  How often does God refer to his own people as whores and adulturers?  I can't even imagine where these girls register on God's scale of moral!?!  In the Bible wearing braids was considered risqué!  Again, God doesn't change, we try to change God to suite our times.  That is not wise.  The fact that the Christian Right was outraged was probably legitimate but really, they should have been in church observing the Sabbath...

   I could go on, but I think you get my point.  The world will go on like it always does (blind, ignorant and lost).  Let's not be like that!  In order to study under God we need to turn away from the world.  Change where our focus goes.  Stop accepting all of the worldly invites that serve as distractors of our time.  When we obsess about worldly  things we are brought into that battle, we worship the world drama.  I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to battle, but it doesn't make it right.  God has reminded me more than once that he doesn't need a defense attorney.  And I'm like, but?!???!!!?...  He want's us to LOVE each other, as unbearably difficult as that may be sometimes.  Love not war, love not war.  Swallow your defense, but never surrender who you are.  And if God gives you a message, speak it.

  Peace