Riverside, Jan. 11, 2026

Back to Basics #2

Loving God

Dios es buenno(God is good)

Todo el tiempo(all the time)

I had a daydream. It seemed like a long day so I just sat down and tiredly closed my eyes to rest. My mind drifted into deep thought. It was a fantastic daydream. It brought a tear to my eye as I experienced this dream. Here it is - I woke up in heaven, it was my first moment in glory land and the first person I saw was Jesus, my Saviour. I wasn’t there before Him to be judged on my sin because we both knew He had saved me and forgiven me of all that sin through His blood and death for me. I knew my faith and trust in Him, Jesus knew.

We looked into each other’s eyes. I could see that He loved me, but I could also sense that He had a question for me. I didn’t know what to do or say, it was unnerving, unsettling -what question would He ask?

This was in my daydream; it is not in the Bible. Now, I know enough about God to know that He wouldn’t ask me about my church attendance record, or what percentage of income I gave, nor about my Bible reading or memorization of Scripture. But then Jesus spoke a bombshell to me, the God who never wastes words questioned me directly as He did dear brother Peter on that seashore, He asked ‘DO YOU LOVE ME’.

‘Do you love me –(which I knew meant) did you love me, George.’

While I was on earth did, I love God, did I show it, did I live like I loved God. A review of my life ensued, a tear came to my eye and Jesus wiped it away.

God reviewed my whole life, not to make me wallow in every way I had fallen short, but God, my wonderful Saviour looked for ways that I had demonstrated my love for Him.

Deuteronomy 6

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you. (from God -YHWH 🡪Moses🡪Israel🡪you/me)

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

(statement of basic truth giving context to 1st command)

(Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [united -whole]).

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

-around 2000 years later YHWH came to earth, Emmanuel -God with us, Jesus came and repeated what He had already stated to Moses as the #1 thing we are to do in life. And now 2000 years after Jesus repeated our priority, here I am, reading these words God said is my life’s precedence.

Matthew 22:36-38

36 “Teacher, (Jesus was asked) which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

3 questions today for you.

Q1Do you love God?

Q2How do you love God?

Q3Will you love God more?

Q1DO YOU LOVE GOD?

-yes, no, a bit, a lot, maybe, partially, fully, not fully, almost fully?

Come join into my daydream & answer Jesus’s question on your first day in heaven -Did you love Me?

You say that you love God -well, let’s review your life.

- so, let’s see the proof, the evidence of this in your life.

- let’s see the demonstration of this tangible love,

-is this confirmed in my life as true? Verified.

In my daydream after my review, I had a tear because all I could think –‘I could have done more! I should have done more!!’

The last tear from my eye will be the one Jesus wipes away and I’ll love Him even more when He does that.

-and that’s the point -our love for God grows as our faith in God grows. Disciples of Jesus, keep following Jesus and your love for Him will grow. Keep going and growing.

-the closer you get to God the more you will love God -it’s unavoidable, undeniable and unbelievable.

-to be caught up in the love of God for me causes me to respond in love to Him -my love grows deeper and better.

I love God more and more for He has been so faithful to me, so true, so loving, so caring, so understanding. Oh, how He has saves me and keeps me and holds me fast and one day (one day soon) God will bring me home forever. Hallelujah -Dios es buenno a mi God is good to me.

-The closer you get to the source of love the warmer your love grows.

1 John 4:19 We love God because God first loved us.

Yep, God loves you

Do you love God?

Q2 How do you love God? Or How to love God more & more!

-A long-winded theological definition of loving God;

Loving God involves a deep, active relationship expressed through prayer, reading His Word, obedience, worship, and extending that love to others, focusing on knowing Him intimately and responding to His love with gratitude and devotion. It's about experiencing Him and letting that experience transform you, moving beyond just feelings to tangible acts of faith and service. 

Q2 How do I love God more and more?

-here’s another long-winded definition from George:

Get in His presence, He’s right there with you, live there (always), talk to Him -tell Him all your problems not Aunt Mayble or Uncle Jim, read His Word -God is wanting to tell you something, -when He tells you -believe it and obey everything He tells you to do.

smile -God loves you

9 Key Practices to Love God:

Prayer & Communication: Talk to God regularly, sharing your heart, problems, and asking for help, as well as listening for His voice.

Study His Word: the Bible, to understand His nature, will, and love for you, finding guidance and truth.

Obedience: Follow His commandments and teachings, as this demonstrates trust and deepens your experience of Him.

1 John 5:3 … this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

NOT BURDENSOME -Jesus used the word light -burden is light

This is the best life, obedience -walking with Jesus, keeping in step with Jesus. You can have a life out of step with Jesus Christ and you will have a life overcome with insecurity, anxious living, a lack of hope and you will not experience the deep, deep love of God that is available.

Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Worship & Praise: Express your love of God (in spirit and in truth) through worship, give thanks for His goodness, and offer praise -for God dwells in the midst of His people’s praise.

Love Others: Show God's love to people around you; loving your neighbor is a direct way to love God.

1 Jn. 4:19 “For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen”.

Spend Time in His Presence: Seek quiet moments to enjoy His nearness and feel His presence, He is right there. (reach out and touch)

Serve: Perform acts of kindness and service, especially those done in secret, build your "faith muscle" -it honors God. It shows Love to God.

Cultivate Gratitude: Be thankful for His blessings, recognizing His constant goodness.Dios es buenno.

Enjoy God: Adore and find joy in who God is, which is the core of truly glorifying Him. 

2 Things to remember about loving God

Love is action, Not Just Feeling: While feelings are involved, true love for God is shown through consistent actions and obedience, not just good intentions.

Lifelong Process: Growing in love for God is a continuous journey of seeking, learning, and allowing Him to change your heart

Q3 Will you love God more?

This is your question; I can’t answer it for you. By saying yes in your heart is obedience to God which is an act of love for God🡪 say Yes Lord -I love you Lord

I love You, Lord by PetraI love You, LordAnd I lift my voiceTo worship YouOh my soul rejoiceTake joy my KingIn what You hearLet it be a sweet, sweet soundIn Your ear (Oh)