RESCUE BAPTIST CHURCH

If there is love in our hearts for God it is because He put it there. The natural mind has no love for God--to the contrary, the natural man hates God. Unless God is pleased to reveal His Son in us, we will go to our graves loving darkness rather than light. The hatred for God is universal. Every fallen son and daughter of Adam comes into this world with a heart that is void of love for God; a stony heart that gets more calloused with each passing day it continues in sin; a darkened heart that grows nore hateful toward God with each hour of rebellous love for self and the things of this world. Romans 8:7 says that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law God, neither indeed can be". Therefore, until a man is "born again", he will not, nay, he cannot, love God. But, when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, when God takes away the stony heart when our sovereign Lord delivers us from the power of darkness, the soul of that enlightened sinner is filled with a love he never knew before--a love for the Lord Jesus Christ; a love for His Word; a love for His will; a love for His people. Brethren, love breeds love. We love God because He first loved us. In love God predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4,5). God loves His own with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness does He draw us (Jer. 31:3). Our Lord Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). When the Holy Spirit is pleased to open our understanding to the eternal, immutable love that God has for His own; when we see, through the eye of God-given faith, the love of God so overwhelming displayed at Calvary when our perfect Redeemer sealed our pardon with His own precious blood; when we realize that only the sovereign power of the omnipotent God can reveal this special discriminating love that He has for His own, we can't help but fall in love with Him. And this love will manifest itself in our life style, our attitude, our speech, our obedience to our sovereign King, the Lord Jesus Christ. True love shines so wonderfully bright that it cannot possibly be hidden. Reader, do you love God? If so, He put that love in your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit and that love will move you to give Him all the praise and glory.